Which statement accurately describes credentialing and privileging in PMU settings?

• A. Credentialing verifies qualifications.
• B. Privileging grants authority to perform procedures.
• C. Credentialing verifies qualifications; privileging grants authority to perform specific procedures.
• D. They are the same process.

Answer: (C)

In PMU settings, two steps govern who can work and what they can do. Credentialing verifies qualifications—the licenses, education, training, board certification, and experience a clinician has—establishing that they meet basic requirements. Privileging then uses those verified qualifications to grant authority to perform specific procedures or provide particular services within that setting, based on demonstrated competence. Because credentialing confirms what a clinician has earned and privilege decisions define exactly which procedures they may perform, the combined description is the accurate one. It’s not the same process, and privileging does not verify qualifications on its own.