As a practicing healthcare professional, you must always be mentally astute when treating or otherwise interacting with your patients. Though it is easier said than done, you must do everything in your power to leave at the door anything in your personal life that may be weighing on your mental health. Otherwise, your patients may complain that your mental health issues are affecting your quality of care. Read on to discover the possibility of losing your medical license over mental health concerns and how one of the seasoned New York health care professional defense lawyers at Walker Medical Law can work to ward off such worries.
Is it possible to lose my medical license over mental health concerns?
At Walker Medical Law, we understand that even healthcare professionals grapple with mental health concerns. With this, we see many professionals who delay or altogether ignore seeking treatment due to a fear that word may get back to their employer; or worse, the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC).
Though you may have committed your career, and even your life, to caring for patients, you must take care of yourself first. For one, untreated mental health issues may unfortunately lead to further issues, such as alcohol abuse or substance abuse. Otherwise, your mental health issues may bleed into your practice and soon raise concerns amongst your patients. With this, your patients may submit complaints to the OPMC. And if the OPMC finds evidence that your mental health is putting your patients at risk, then you may take action towards revoking your medical license.
What alternative resolutions might the OPMC offer me?
For what it is worth, the OPMC may not decide to entirely revoke your medical license upon investigating your alleged mental illness. Rather, they may call for alternative resolutions that may offer you the appropriate time and resources to get your mental health back on track. More specific examples are as follows:
- The Board may choose to issue a letter of reprimand that discloses the required corrective actions (i.e., submitting to a mental health examination).
- The Board may choose to place an emergency suspension on your license until you complete the required mental health therapy sessions.
- The Board may choose to place a temporary limitation on your license so that you cannot directly interact with patients until you complete the required mental health therapy sessions.
But at the end of the day, you do not want to receive any disciplinary action from the OPMC. This means that you must vigorously fight against any false accusation concerning your mental illness from the jump. With the complex proceedings ahead, you should not go through it alone. Rather, you should have one of the competent New York healthcare professional defense lawyers from Walker Medical Law by your side throughout. Contact our firm today.
