Physicians have demanding, exhausting jobs. They have long hours and often have to be on-call even when they aren’t actively working.
Patients unknowingly demand emotional labor from physicians by telling their life stories instead of just explaining their symptoms. Corporate medical practices force doctors to do massive amounts of overtime by requiring back-to-back patient visits and intensive documentation. Doctors may have to work long hours just to fill out all the necessary paperwork for a day’s worth of appointments.
On top of that, working in a medical facility carries risks for injury due to overexertion, patient violence and exposure to dangerous substances and machinery. All of that combined puts physicians at particularly high risk for addiction issues, with some estimates indicating as many as 15% of doctors struggle with addiction.
Physicians struggling with addiction may abuse their authority
As a general practitioner, you might have access to prescription pads that allow you to connect with any medication you want. If you work in an inpatient facility, there may even be a pharmacy that you can access and take pills from.
Even typically ethical and hard-working people who struggle with chronic pain or with chemical addiction after using narcotics to treat pain may bend or break the rules for their own benefit. If you get caught by your employer or if you get charged with a drug-related crime, you might find yourself not only dealing with criminal charges and possibly the loss of your job but also the potential for losing your medical license.
You can defend your license just like you can defend against charges
Ethical issues can lead to the loss of your license, but criminal issues are often the much more straightforward path to licensing problems. If you wind up convicted, you will likely face review by the Medical Board of California.
Defending against the criminal charges that you face can be the first step toward protecting your medical license. You will have an opportunity if you face licensing consequences to defend your medical license as well. Getting help with both of these defense strategies can improve your chances of rebuilding your life after addiction causes career issues.
