As a physical therapist, you enjoy your job. From the people you meet to the ability to help others, everything about your career puts a smile on your face.
While many physical therapists know exactly what they should and shouldn’t be doing in a professional setting, others can lose sight of what is required of them. As a result, they may find themselves in trouble and facing the potential loss of their license.
Here are some of the ways a physical therapist may end up losing their license:
- Sexual misconduct. There is never a good time to have a sexual relationship with a patient, as this is one of the quickest ways to lose your license.
- Substance abuse. It’s easy to believe that what you do outside of work should have no impact on your job as a physical therapist, but this isn’t always the case. If you have a substance abuse problem, it could lead to the revocation or suspension of your license.
- Fraud and misrepresentation. There are many things that fit into this category, such as charging different fees for patients with insurance and those who are private pay.
- Patient abuse. It goes without saying that any form of patient abuse can lead to trouble, including the loss of license (and that is just the start).
- Medication violation. All physical therapists need to know what they are and are not allowed to do in regard to providing advice about medication.
While these are among the most common ways for a physical therapist to lose one’s license, there are other situations that could come into play at some point.
If you find yourself dealing with this type of trouble, you need to do two things: Review the situation that has put you in this difficult spot, and then learn more about your legal rights. You don’t want to sit back and see what happens. Instead, you want to be proactive and take action to defend yourself and your livelihood.