Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger Explains Why Pharmacists Under Investigation Need to Stay Off Social Media

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 jeopardy.  I have written many blog posts about my general advice to remain silent in this situation but wanted to focus an entire post on the need to entirely refrain from using social media while this review of your professional conduct occurs.

I wrote the following blog post to explain the social media steps you should take, and more importantly avoid if you receive a complaint from your state licensing board or employer. If you are a pharmacist in Kansas or Missouri facing an allegation of misconduct or an investigation, call attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation. Your career, reputation, and livelihood are at risk, and the challenge facing you is one you cannot work your way through alone.

Why Social Media is So Tricky for Pharmacists

Popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all enjoyable ways to communicate with friends and family and to tell the world what is going on in your life, but they also serve as a permanent record of conversations that may be misconstrued by an investigator or disciplinary board. As a pharmacist, you are expected to display a professional and trusted persona.  As a result, social media platforms are a horrible place to complain about an investigation into your conduct at work. No matter how upset or angry an investigation makes you refrain from commenting about it on social media. In fact, I always go a step further and recommend that my pharmacist clients delete their social media profiles altogether while any allegations against them are pending.

Social media mistakes tend to fall into two categories.  First, it is easy to make a post or statement that will be taken out of context later; complaints about an investigation or your employer are particularly easy to misconstrue.  Second, we all post wacky pictures from our vacations and good times with our friends.  But while you are under investigation, photos you post, even after-hours behavior, can be used to support their allegation that you are drinking too much, abusing drugs, or otherwise acting unprofessionally.

When you express yourself on social media, you are “speaking” to the world, including the investigator or board reviewing your conduct. As you have seen numerous times on television crime dramas, “you have the right to remain silent,” and I advise you to exercise that right vigorously.  Simply put, do not make any statement to anyone without an attorney by your side, including on social media.

Contact an Experienced Kansas and Missouri Licensing Attorney Now for the Advice You Need

You have worked too hard to attain your pharmacist’s license to lose it because you failed to attain professional legal advice. Staying off of social media while an investigation is pending is just one piece of advice that you need to observe; speak with a licensing defense attorney to arm yourself with the other essential pieces of advice you need.  Contacting an experienced licensing attorney can mean the difference between getting back to helping your clients and losing your career forever.

Kansas and Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger is prepared to advocate for your best interests and defend your pharmacist’s license. Call Attorney Sanger at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation with an attorney experienced dealing with professional licensing issues.

 

 

 

Comments are closed.