Say you are a medical professional such as a nurse. You have recently received notification that your license to practice may be in jeopardy due to allegations such as alcohol addiction, embezzlement or stealing. Similarly, it could be accusations of unprofessionalism at work or negligence such as not doing an assessment correctly.
You are of two minds after you get the notification. On the one hand, you realize that the heart of the allegations is true. For example, maybe you did conduct an assessment improperly, or you did have a drinking problem that led to a DUI charge. On the other hand, your skills have grown, and by now, you know how to conduct assessments properly, or you have not had a drink in months. What should you do? Defend your license?
Limit what you say
To start with, limit what you say to anyone related to these proceedings, and for that matter, to anyone in general. What you share could be twisted and make you seem even guiltier than you may actually be.
Talk with a lawyer
The next thing to do is consult with a lawyer. At this point, the lawyer may be able to give you a better understanding of the options for keeping your license and accepting consequences despite possibly having done the acts others claim you are guilty of. For example, the board could place you on probation, fine you or require you to take a class. You do not always deserve to lose your license after making a mistake or for being human. In fact, the state has little interest in excessively punishing professionals who have learned from their mistakes and who are capable of behaving appropriately going forward. (That said, if the mistake you made was severe enough, it could be grounds for losing your license no matter how much you learned from it.)
Yes, you should
So, yes, you should defend your license. You depend on your job to earn a steady income and to support yourself and possibly your family. You may have done something wrong, and a lawyer can help you and the licensing board determine a fair resolution.
It could also be that you are unaware of all the facts in a case. You may believe you did something wrong, but did you really?
