Speech Pathologist Who Smuggled Cell Phone into Prison on Probation
Delivering cell phones to prison inmates for money is a pretty basic breach of professional conduct if you’re a civilian contractor working in a correctional facility. Unfortunately, a speech pathologist seeing patients in Rhode Island’s state prison learned this the hard way after she was arrested and charged with two felonies.
In addition to her criminal consequence – a court-supervised diversion program – her professional license has taken a hit, too. In September, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) put her on probation for unprofessional conduct. As part of this, she’s required to complete continuing education hours on ethical dilemmas in speech pathology.
The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm understands that good, competent people sometimes make regrettable decisions and that doing so doesn’t automatically mean you should have your license suspended or revoked or that you should lose your job.
We also know that while criminal conduct can be an obvious licensing concern, the crime involved may not directly relate to your performance and, therefore, may be irrelevant to any licensing ramifications.
We’ll make sure you know your rights if you are facing possible license suspension or revocation. Call us now at 888.535.3686 or contact us through our automated online response form to avoid mistakes that could cost you in the long term.
A Bitter Pill to Swallow: Discipline That Could Be Avoided
In this particular case, it appears that the investigation and criminal case were resolved before the speech pathologist was put on probation. Sadly, though, we’ve seen this happen in the reverse order and have seen too many professionals who leave themselves vulnerable to difficult-to-reverse discipline when they don’t have to.
In some instances, boards will suspend professional licenses before an investigation even starts or is completed. Even more egregious, many professionals have been pressured into relinquishing their licenses even before an accusation. The harm in this is that the charges may not hold up in court. Whether or not they do, getting your license reinstated at that point can prove challenging. This is preventable. Don’t open yourself up to career-altering consequences because you didn’t talk to us.
We work hard to represent our clients nationwide – clients who feel remorse and want to take responsibility for their actions, but who also feel a deep sense of commitment to their calling and want to continue working in their field. We have experience negotiating with state licensing boards of all kinds, from nursing and medical boards to boards regulating engineers and architects. Call our Professional License Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or contact us through our automated online response form to discuss your specific license question or concern.