As a physical therapist, you perform medical services to help your patients improve and return to good physical condition. However, since you are a member of the medical profession, you must abide by its rules and regulations if you wish to preserve your license.
Even an honest mistake can put your license to provide physical therapy services in jeopardy. However, when you know what conduct is prohibited, you have the best chance of avoiding behaviors that threaten your Sacramento, California medical license.
7 top reasons for discipline against license holders
The Physical Therapy Board of California is responsible for overseeing the physical therapy industry and handling related disciplinary matters. Seven examples of severe misconduct that could lead to discipline (suspension, revocation, etc.) include the following.
- Incompetence. Conducting unnecessary or obsolete procedures or performing treatment procedures without proper training
- Gross negligence. An extreme departure from the approved and accepted standards of practice
- Repeated negligent acts. Not necessarily extreme departures from accepted practice standards, but still acts of negligence
- Sexual misconduct. Since patients are considered incapable of consenting, sexual involvement with them is prohibited
- Aiding and abetting. Failure to properly supervise a physical therapy assistant or aide
- Dishonesty and fraud. Includes the fraudulent billing of unprovided services and the filing of fraudulent insurance claims
- Criminal convictions. Depending on the offense, felony and misdemeanor convictions could threaten your physical therapy license
After working hard to train as a physical therapist and build your clientele, even one allegation of wrongdoing can threaten all you have accomplished. To protect your livelihood and your reputation, consider learning more about maintaining and defending your license should allegations of misconduct arise.
