The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking for feedback on whether nurse practitioners and physician assistants should be allowed to take the NIOSH B Reader examination to be certified to assess chest radiographs for dust-induced lung diseases. Right now, only licensed physicians can become B Readers. The CDC wants input from health experts, industry, and workers on potential benefits and risks of this change, and how it might improve health monitoring across different areas and populations. They are accepting comments until March 17, 2025.
Simple Explanation
Imagine there's a really important test that helps doctors see if people have lung sickness from dusty jobs. Right now, only doctors can take this test, but a big health group wants to know if nurses and helpers should be allowed to take it too. They're asking everyone what they think about this idea.