Earning a professional license in Pennsylvania takes time, financial resources and dedication. You may risk a revoked, suspended or limited license by the licensing board if you have a conviction on your record.
According to the Collateral Consequences Resource Center, comprehensive fitness standards supersede good moral character and mandatory bar requirements in Pennsylvania. However, the consequences of a conviction can still affect your ability to practice in your profession and earn a living.
Loss of privileges
Professionals such as dentists and physicians with a criminal conviction could find that malpractice insurance becomes costly and difficult to attain. In some cases, insurance companies may remove your practice from service provider lists. Physicians and nurses may find that hospitals revoke their privileges. The National Providers Data Bank may post a negative report due to your criminal conviction.
Types of crimes
A variety of factors determine whether a conviction affects your professional license. Infractions such as a traffic ticket may not affect your practice, whereas a traffic misdemeanor or felony offense might. Licensing boards may view an arrest differently than if file criminal charges. As with many crimes, a first violation may have different consequences than a repeated offense.
The underlying facts of your case may weigh heavily on how the case proceeds after an arrest. If you have a conviction on your record from several years ago, it could still affect your ability to attain a license today. Licensing agencies may consider the conviction if there is a direct relationship between the crime and the profession and whether it poses a public safety risk. A strong defense from the beginning of your case can help minimize the risk of losing your license and allow you to move forward professionally.
