As a hard-working medical professional, you probably look forward to your annual summer vacation. Taking a break from work and visiting a different area can give you a much-needed rest as well as the chance to spend quality time with family and friends. It will benefit your patients, too, as you should theoretically come back refreshed.
Yet some medical professionals return from their vacations to find themselves with a notification from their licensing board, who want to interview them about something that occurred during that vacation. What sort of things might prompt this?
Anything alcohol or drug-related
Let’s say you are combining your vacation with an old college friend’s stag do. Partway through the night, one of your group pulls out some drugs and you all partake, for old time’s sake. Unfortunately, the night ends up with you all sitting in a prison cell after someone calls the police. As a professional entrusted with drugs as part of their job, that could be a big problem, on top of the criminal charges.
An alcohol related offense, such as DUI or an alcohol- fuelled assault, could also put your license at risk if the licensing board thinks it shows poor judgment or indicates you do not have the appropriate moral character for the profession.
Sexual misconduct
Sexual encounters sometimes happen on vacations. As a medical professional, you need to be very careful about who you engage with and how you engage with them. Falling into bed with someone when you are both drunk could end up with you facing charges. Or maybe the issue is that they are way younger than you believed them to be, and are still a minor. Or, perhaps they are a current or ex-patient who just happens to be visiting the same place at the same time, but one of their friends or family members considers your liaison unethical and reports you for it.
If you find yourself in such a situation, prompt legal guidance can help you understand your options.
