The physicians I know are all respected members of their communities who volunteer their time, money, and skills to make their towns and cities better places. Unfortunately, we are all aware of physicians who use their medical license to bilk the public and commit fraud. While these are the minority in the medical profession, they […]
Nurses face a “Catch-22” situation—they work in a bruising profession that can injure them physically but at the same time can be disciplined for using the pain medicines needed to alleviate those injuries. There is an opioid epidemic in Kansas and Missouri and part of the effort to end it has focused on the use […]
It seems like almost everyone enjoys social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all fun places to reconnect with friends, debate issues of the day, and blow off steam. But as every nurse knows, nurses must present themselves as professional to their community and to protect their patients’ privacy. While fun, social media is also […]
The news is full of reports of hair-raising medical malpractice cases. But any nurse can tell you that these incidents are really quite rare. That is not to say that patients are not injured due to mistakes; on the contrary, patients are injured, but these injuries more commonly arise from minor mistakes that compound over […]
Many people come to my office holding a notice from a state licensing board, and their first questions usually involve the powers and protocols of that board. As a result, I receive many questions regarding licensing boards, such as why they exist and what are the scope of their powers. I have written the following […]
Real estate agents are respected members of the Kansas and Missouri professional communities. But like any other professionals, real estate agents have to maintain good standing with their licensing agency if they want to continue their career. In particular, I have seen cases recently where realtors either fail to supervise their assistants or allow their […]
In our society, those who work with children are held to an extremely high standard. The standard is so high that a teacher will often get into licensing or employment trouble for behavior that would have little or no effect on a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Whether this is fair or unfair is beside the […]
Psychologists are highly respected members of their communities. In turn, they are expected to live up to a very high ethical standard. I frequently advise psychologists about their professional obligations and the best ways to avoid allegations of impropriety. Because psychologists are entrusted with confidential information, money, and private physical access to patients, there are […]
Are you a pharmacist that has either received either a notice of investigation from your employer, a notice of an investigation from your licensing board, or a notice of a pharmacy audit? Any one of these notices means that an allegation of misconduct may have been made against you and that your career is in […]
Physical therapists are particularly vulnerable to allegations of misconduct, as they have close contact with clients, have access to client’s confidential information, and are often working with clients one-on-one. Physical therapists often ask me if there are particular behaviors they should avoid or best practices they should adopt. Because I am so frequently asked about […]