If the police charge you with driving under the influence (DUI), you could have fines imposed upon you, end up with a suspended license, face increased insurance premiums and even be subject to jail time. Yet, if you are a doctor, those consequences may be the least of your worries.
Beer takes a few minutes to drink and costs a few dollars. Studying to become a doctor takes years of hard work and thousands of dollars. Yet, it may only take a beer or two to put all the time, money and effort it took to get your medical license at risk.
A DUI conviction could lead to losing your medical license, but, fortunately, you have several options available to make that less likely. These are:
Fight the charges
There are many ways to fight DUI charges. You can contest how the police determined you were over the limit or whether they followed correct procedures when stopping and arresting you. Many people successfully overturn DUI accusations each year, and as a doctor, it is more important for you to do so than most.
Attend a pretrial rehabilitation program
Completing Pennsylvania’s Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program could allow you to have the charge expunged. Therefore, you would have no DUI charge that you need to report to the medical licensing board provided that the expungement happens before you need to renew your license.
It is easy to make mistakes or fall into traps that increase the chance a DUI prevents you from practicing. You should learn more about your rights before telling anyone about your DUI arrest. This will allow you to build a defense strategy that will hopefully allow you to keep your medical license.
