When entering the field of clinical psychology, you work hard to earn the trust of your patients. So any perceived breach of that trust, especially around the disclosure of confidential information, is taken very seriously. Violations can put psychologists at risk of disciplinary action toward their license. If you are facing a case before the Clinical Psychologists Licensing and Disciplinary Board, you need to contact an experienced license defense attorney.

Threats to a Psychologist License in Illinois

Clinical psychologists, like all other licensed professionals in the medical field, are expected to have a high standard of conduct to earn and keep their license. There are a wide variety of potential issues that may jeopardize a psychologist’s license and instigate action by the disciplinary board. These can include:

• Unprofessional or unethical conduct

  ...

As a doctor, you take your duty to care for your patients with the utmost seriousness. So, if you are accused of misdiagnosing or failing to diagnose a patient, you may have many questions. You may also be concerned about how the allegations may affect your medical license. If you feel your license may be threatened, it is important to be proactive and contact an experienced license defense attorney who can begin discussing your options with you. We are often able to help our clients resolve these types of matters without any public discipline to their license.

Commonly Missed or Delayed Diagnoses

Misdiagnosis, along with surgical errors, medication errors, and failure to obtain informed consent, can be considered gross negligence if it can be proved that a doctor caused injury to a patient by acting recklessly or carelessly while diagnosing or treating the patient. In the case of a misdiagnosis, this may occur if the patient’s symptoms, medical history, or test results are not properly analyzed or considered.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the most commonly missed conditions for primary care doctors are pneumonia, decompensated congestive heart failure, acute renal failure, cancer in any form, and urinary tract infections. In a broader survey of physicians also conducted by JAMA, including general internists, specialists, and emergency physicians, commonly missed or delayed diagnoses included pulmonary embolism, drug reactions or overdose, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, acute coronary syndrome, breast cancer, and stroke.

For those who are looking to enter the field of dentistry and become a dental hygienist, you must first go through the required training and meet a variety of other requirements to obtain a dental hygienist license. The understandable fear of any potential licensee is to have their application denied by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). If you have a past criminal conviction, you may receive a Deficiency Checklist from IDFPR asking you to provide information on the conviction as part of the application review process. If you have received a Deficiency Checklist, you need to contact the lawyers at Williams & Nickl, LLC.

License Application Obstacles for Dental Hygienists

If you have received a Deficiency Checklist from IDFPR, you may not know how to respond or even whether your conviction is disqualifying. This notice does not mean your application has been denied, but not responding does put your application in jeopardy. Among the reasons that you may receive the notice is that you have been found guilty of a felony, a misdemeanor in which the essential element is dishonesty, or a crime that is directly related to the practice of dental hygiene. Being convicted of any crime on this list will not automatically bar you from obtaining your license, but the conviction should have been disclosed on your initial application. Some of the convictions that IDFPR will not consider when evaluating your license application are convictions related to cannabis possession or sale, traffic offenses except for DUI or reckless homicide, trespassing, or vandalism.

Our firm can help provide you with guidance on the appropriate next steps. If necessary, we can draft a letter of response to IDFPR that answers their questions and makes the case for why your license should be approved. By waiting too long or attempting to respond on your own, you are putting all of your hard work at risk.

People across the state rely on real estate brokers, more commonly known as agents, every day when they are buying or selling a house, condo, townhouse, or other property. They trust that agents will act ethically and keep high standards of professionalism. These ethics and standards are enforced by the Real Estate Administration and Disciplinary Board, which regulates licenses for those in the real estate industry, including real estate agents, managing brokers, and leasing agents.

Professional and Personal Infractions Can Cause Licensing Issues

There are a wide variety of reasons that a complaint may be filed against a real estate agent. Some involve professional infractions, while others reflect the personal behavior of the individual. The actions related to an agent’s professional business that could cause disciplinary action include:

• Accounting or recordkeeping irregularities, including not keeping records available for review

  ...

The state of Illinois has enacted several pieces of legislation designed to address the growing opioid crisis. The bills were signed last week by Governor Pritzker, and three bills, in particular, are of interest to pharmacists and other medical professionals who handle opioids on a daily basis.

Opioid Legislation to Prevent Overdoses and Expand Resources

Senate Bill 2535 requires pharmacists and medical professionals who write prescriptions for opioids to inform the patients of the drugs’ addictive nature. They also must give the patient the option to receive a drug that may be used to reverse opioid overdoses, also known as an opioid antagonist. This bill takes effect on January 1, 2023.

House Bill 4556, which is effective immediately, allows pharmacists and other medical professionals to distribute testing strips for fentanyl. These strips and other testing supplies can often be classified under the law as drug paraphernalia. This will allow health care facilities, including hospitals and pharmacies, to store these important supplies without the fear of being prosecuted. The strips can quickly determine the presence of fentanyl in a substance and prevent accidental overdoses.