Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that many more people struggle with than you may initially realize. You should not feel ashamed if you battle with this disease. However, you should be productive in subsiding it before you hurt yourself and others. This is especially pivotal if you are a medical professional who interacts with vulnerable patients daily. So, that said, please read on to discover how the OPMC might respond to your substance abuse issue and how a seasoned New York substance abuse lawyer at Walker Medical Law can offer you the resources necessary to address and overcome this problem.
How can I potentially hurt my patients with my substance abuse issue?
Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol may negatively affect your brain and behavior, which should remain intact when you are interacting with patients. Otherwise, you may accidentally give a patient the wrong type or dosage of medication, which may fail to subside their pain and suffering or give them additional issues. Or, you may fail to perform their surgical procedure successfully, and they may experience long-term complications. Lastly, you may fail to comprehend their expression of symptoms and concerns and subsequently prescribe them with the incorrect medical examinations and treatment plans, to the point that their condition may worsen or become incurable.
What action will the OPMC take after learning of my substance abuse issue?
It may play out very differently if the OPMC learns about your substance abuse issue from your confession as opposed to a medical misconduct report by a patient, colleague, or employer.
On the one hand, if you build up the courage to step forward on your own, the New York State Medical Board’s Committee on Physicians Health may coordinate getting you into a rehabilitation treatment program. They may ask you to remain in this program anywhere from a few months to a full year, depending on how quickly you can learn how to walk away from your substance abuse. Obviously, at this time, you will have to stop practicing medicine temporarily. However, once you complete this program successfully, the OPMC may allow you to return to your original job post. The only caveat to this, though, is that the OPMC may require you to undergo random drug testing anywhere from three to four times a month.
But, on the other hand, if the OPMC receives a medical misconduct complaint against you due to your substance abuse issue, they may order the suspension of your medical license for anywhere between one to two years. What’s worse, though, is if there is evidence of your harming a patient as a direct result of your being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. With this, the OPMC may sooner call for the permanent revocation of your medical license.
Before you practice medicine any longer while struggling with a substance abuse issue, we urge you to consult a competent New York OPMC/OPD misconduct defense lawyer. Most definitely, the team at Walker Medical Law is eager to work with you.
