 As healthcare demands have increased in the United States due to an aging population, a physician shortage and the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 there has been a shift toward more independence in practice for professionals such as advanced practice nurses, pharmacists, dentists, podiatrists, dental therapists and physician assistants.In recent years some organizations and specialties have proposed the discontinuance of the term mid level in reference to professional practitioners who are not physicians.Perhaps unsurprisingly, each organization prefers to use their specific title, and physicians organizations are concerned about title inflation.