What to Do (and What Not to Do) if Your Medical License is at Risk in Maryland

October 24, 2024
The Law Firm of J.W. Stafford

Physicians and other medical professionals in Maryland who are facing disciplinary action need to be extremely careful to protect themselves. Loss of medical licensure is a very real possibility in many cases, and even medical professionals who do not lose their licenses permanently can still face career-threatening consequences. With this in mind, if your medical license is at risk, hiring an experienced Maryland professional license defense lawyer is essential, and you will want to start working with your lawyer to build your defense promptly.

You will also want to be very careful to avoid a variety of potentially costly mistakes. When you are facing disciplinary action as a medical professional in Maryland, there are both steps you need to take and mistakes you need to avoid. Learn more from Maryland professional license defense lawyer Jamaal (Jay) W. Stafford.

What to Do: Make Sure You Know the Specific Allegations Against You

Regarding what to do, one of the first steps you need to take in this situation is to make sure you know the specific allegations against you. The specific allegations you are facing will determine both: (i) the risks you are facing in your disciplinary proceeding; and (ii) the defenses you have available.

What Not to Do: Make Assumptions About Why You Are Facing Professional Discipline

In this same vein, you need to avoid making assumptions about why you are facing professional discipline. If your assumptions are wrong, you will assert the wrong defenses, and you could put your medical license at risk unnecessarily.

What to Do: Make Sure You Understand the Potential Outcomes of Your Disciplinary Action

Just as you need to make sure you know the specific allegations against you, you also need to make sure you understand the specific outcomes you are facing. Different professional indiscretions warrant different penalties under the rules that govern medical licensing in Maryland.  

What Not to Do: Make Assumptions About the Risks You Are (or Aren’t) Facing

Here, too, making assumptions can prove to be a very costly mistake. In particular, if you assume that the risks you are facing aren’t as serious as they really are, you may fail to give your disciplinary case the time and attention it demands.

What to Do: Discuss Your Situation with a Maryland Professional License Defense Lawyer

Regardless of the risks you are facing, avoiding unnecessary consequences won’t be easy. To give yourself the best chance of a favorable result, you will want to discuss your situation with a Maryland lawyer who practices in the area of professional license defense as soon as possible. 

What Not to Do: Try to Handle Your Disciplinary Case on Your Own

If your medical license is at risk, now is not the time to try your hand at practicing law. You need to protect yourself by all means available, and this means hiring a highly experienced lawyer who can provide effective defense representation.

What to Do: Consider All Potential Defenses and Formulate a Cohesive Defense Strategy

No matter what allegations led to your disciplinary action, you have defenses available. The key to avoiding unnecessary licensing action will be to consider all potential defenses and formulate a cohesive defense strategy that leaves the board with no choice but to find in your favor.

What Not to Do: Overlook Opportunities to Protect Your Medical License

From overlooking viable defenses to overlooking opportunities to resolve disciplinary actions without a hearing, this is one of the most common mistakes we see. If your medical license is at risk, you need to leverage every possible opportunity to protect it.

What to Do: Determine Whether You Are At Risk for Other Adverse Consequences

In many cases, medical professionals who are facing licensing action will be at risk for other adverse consequences as well. These can include loss of credentials and civil liability for medical malpractice, among others. To ensure that you are making informed decisions, you first need to make sure you know everything that is at stake in light of your present circumstances.

What Not to Do: Make Mistakes that Could Increase the Risks You Are Facing

From missing deadlines to repeating the same actions that led to your disciplinary proceeding, there are many more mistakes that could increase the risks you are facing. When you hire an experienced Maryland professional license defense lawyer to represent you, your lawyer should be able to walk you through everything you need to know.

Schedule a Confidential Consultation with a Maryland Professional License Defense Lawyer Today

If you are facing professional discipline as a licensed medical professional in Maryland, we encourage you to contact us promptly for more information. To schedule a confidential consultation as soon as possible, please call 410-514-6099 or inquire online today.