How to Protect Your Professional License from Misconduct Claims

How to Protect Your Professional License from Misconduct Claims

Professional licenses, whether it be a medical license or a plumber’s license, hold business owners to a high standard. Professional licenses demonstrate that you have the experience and knowledge to perform the work you’re paid to do.

But, your license is also at risk of misconduct claims.

If your license has been suspended or revoked, you won’t be able to work in the field. Here’s how you can protect your professional license from misconduct claims.

Avoid Common Misconduct

Misconduct is common among many industries. You'll find every industry has its own forms of misconduct, but a few general forms of misconduct to avoid are:

• Sexual misconduct
• Patient abuse
• Unethical behavior
• Unlicensed practice
• Fraud
• Misrepresentation
• Substance abuse

Depending on the occupation, you may also lose your license for not keeping proper records or documentation. Medical professionals, for example, are required, by law, to keep proper medical records.

If these records aren’t properly kept, you may face disciplinary action.

Knowing the top forms of misconduct will allow you, as a professional license holder, to be able to avoid behavior that may lead to misconduct. There are a lot of misconduct claims that can be made against a professional, but by acting responsibly and ethically, you’ll be able to avoid many of the misconduct issues that could arise.

Hold Malpractice or Professional Liability Insurance

If you’re unable to pay fees relating to misconduct claims, you’ll often lose the claim. These fees, often relating to legal services, should be covered by insurance. You'll find there are a lot of insurance products to pick from, and this form of insurance may be called:

• Medical malpractice insurance

• Professional liability insurance

• Errors and omissions insurance

Insurnace is very important when a professional license holder may offer business advice or make a mistake that protects against negligence.

Hire a Professional to Fight Your Case

Misconduct claims may be unavoidable, and in this case, you’ll need to be able to fight your case. A professional is best suited for the job, and this is where insurance really shines. The insurance policy you have should cover legal fees.

"When you first get a complaint against you, you will need an attorney to respond to the government licensing authority or Board (for example, the Nursing Board) to refute the allegations against you. After responding in writing to the appropriate board, it may be necessary to have a conference with the Board in question to discuss the allegations," explains Keller Law Offices.

You must fight the claims against you to help reduce the risk of license loss.

Oftentimes, complaints are never followed up by state boards because the board will find that the case has no merit. The board may also decide that there’s no reason to launch an investigation, so you’ll never even know a complaint has been lodged against you.

But when a complaint is investigated, it’s important to know that the complaint will be brought forth by the client before you get a chance to tell you story.

It's important that a legal professional tells your story to allow the appropriate license board to hear the entire story from both sides.