MINNESOTA PROFESSIONAL LICENSE DEFENSE ATTORNEY JENNIFER SPEAS
Every year there is a new batch of fresh-faced professionals entering the job market with their shiny new professional licenses. Of course, for a small percent of these new workers, they might not keep that license very long if they don’t know what mistakes will put them in hot water with the licensing board. While new license holders are given a little bit of leeway for mistakes just for being new, if you are a new professional license holder, there are a number of mistakes you want to avoid if you want to keep that license.
GOSSIP / SOCIAL MEDIA
It is best to keep all those stories about patients and other co-workers to yourself. It is easy to get caught up in the gossip circle or want to share a funny work story on social media, but for professional license holders, it is best not to. Even if you don’t mention any names, it can come back to you. If a patient or other co-worker sees or hears this gossip, all it takes is one filed complaint to have to face the mercy of the licensing board.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
It is time to put your college drinking days behind you now that you have the fruits of that labor. A few drinks after work can easily turn into a DWI arrest, and if it does, this is something that has to be reported to the board. It is best to not only work with a lawyer to mitigate legal punishments, but have them advise you on what you can do to defend your professional license as well.
MEDICATION VIOLATIONS
This can go above and beyond doctors prescribing medication like opiates for every paper cut. While that is a serious abuse, other professionals can get in trouble for this as well. A good example is if a therapist tells their patient to take Advil for headaches. The ibuprofen in the Advil then causes conflict with other medication they are taking for another medical issue. This can be considered a medication violation for the therapist and can put their license in danger.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
Hopefully by this point even incoming new license holders know not to have any sort of romantic relationship with a patient. However, these days a professional license holder needs to be careful not to be too casual. Any sort of unprofessional touching or even an offhand remark can become a sexual misconduct complaint against your license.
FRAUD
Typically fraud is more of a veteran’s game since they likely have their own agencies or practices that they feel like they can get away with more because they aren’t watched by a boss. However, fraud comes in many forms. With new license holders, they may attempt to charge for services that were not rendered. Some may even try to pass off false college degrees or false professional licenses. If any of this proves to be true, it is likely a license will be revoked and it is possible that it will bar you from ever receiving the license again.
DEFAULTING ON STUDENT LOANS
This seems like a private matter and nothing to do with your career. However, in Minnesota as well as a select few other states, if you default on your federal student loans, you can be barred from a professional license renewal. It is crucial to pay your loans or at least defer them as a new professional so that you can keep practicing with your license.
NEED HELP? CONTACT THE SPEAS LAW FIRM TODAY!
Whether you are a new professional license holder or a veteran, if you are in trouble and your license is in peril, contact us today. The Speas Law Firm is dedicated to helping professional license holders rectify and fight accusations against their license to protect their careers.