Pharmacist Discipline

Pharmacist Discipline. The Board of Pharmacy under California Department of Consumer affairs regulates pharmacist, and its interns and technicians. And so its the Board that has the discretion to discipline those with licenses of certain crimes. They can do this by probation, suspension, or revoke their license itself. This is because the board has to ensure public protection. Criminal convictions that can lead to discipline are crimes that are substantially related to the profession.

Substantially Related

Problem is that substantially related is a very vague term. Serious crimes such as rape, forgery, or DUI are likely to get discipline. However that does not mean misdemeanors are off the hook. Crimes such as petty theft is a crime that can lead to discipline as well. However a judge does not have to agree with the board in some cases. Domestic violence although can be related to pharmacy, a judge can disagree. However a judge will have to know the specifics of the case.  The Board can put you on probation for a minimum of three years with a license suspension.  It Depends on the seriousness of the crime (in their guidelines), it can be a Category II or Category III violation. However committing a crime is not the end all be all for your license. Rehabilitation is an option that you can take. You have to show evidence of  1. remorse or restitution. 2. you went to counseling or group therapy. 3. you did community service. 4. Letters of reference from your employers. 5. And that you were obeying the law since the conviction. The Board has no choice and has to look at all of them. That means even if you lost your license, eventually you can get reinstated.

Fighting the Board

If you got an accusation that says the board will discipline you, as a pharmacist, you have options. You or an attorney can negotiate to lessen the disciplinary action. Or you can get a hearing in front of a judge to show evidence and do cross examinations. However you have only 15 days to do so.

Medical License and Suspension

Medical License and Suspension can happen when you commit a crime that goes against the board. The medical board of California handles medical professionals and physicians. They also basically make the rules that all doctors and medical practitioners have to follow. Breaking those rules will trigger board discipline.In order to trigger it, you had to have commit a crime that is “substantially related” to the functions a physician does. Although the description itself seems very vague, it covers a lot more than what it says. You can be seeing board discipline if you do medical practice violations. Murder, Rape, or doing crimes that require sex offender registration. Drugs, perjury, battery and theft are also under that category. Those are only just a few ways to trigger board discipline.

Board Discipline

There are few ways the board can act against you. If you were were found guilty for committing a small crime, you may see a warning. However the more serious the crimes get, so do the punishments. The board can choose to put you on probation, suspend your license, or even license revocation. If they do choose to put you on probation, they can make you do it under certain conditions. Examples would be doing drug tests and seeing a psychiatrist. Perhaps the most interesting part of a board discipline is that they can still punish you if you had off the job misconduct. A good example of this would be having multiple drinking offenses. The court does not recognize professional practice and personal life as two different things. If you misbehaved on or off the job in such a way, the board can punish your professional career.

If your medical license was revoked or suspended. Consult with an attorney. Your medical license is an important part of life that should not just be handed over without a fight.

Loss of Teaching License

Loss of teaching license. A teaching license is a hard earned license after years of training. However if you chose to make a bad call due to bad judgement or a just a simple mistake, you can lose that license. The commission on teacher credentialing is the one who decides whether you get to keep your license after a crime. They review discipline and criminal cases and can choose to either deny, revoke, or suspend your teaching license. Some cases can involve the automatic revocation or suspension of a teaching license. These cases include sex offenses such as rape. Violent crimes such as murder. Drug offenses such as selling or transportation of drugs. And cases where they limit contact with children/minors such as lewd acts with a minor. All convictions must consider the facts of the case to decide whether the person is fit to teach. Categories can include how likely is it to occur again. How notorious the case has become. And impact on students. Each case will have its own factors to consider for the final decision. If a teacher was charged for small fraud. Chances are he/she will keep his/her license. If it is a large fraud however, then it just becomes more and more likely that he/she will lose his/her license. In deciding whether a person is fit to teach anymore is based on how everyone else views them. A teacher convicted of DUI and put under house arrest will most likely lose his license due to possible ridicule. This is the same reasoning used for the automatic revocation/suspension cases. Its important to note however that every case can be challenged. If you were charged with a crime and lost your license. Consult with an attorney to discuss what options you may have to regain that license.