Medical professionals—and doctors in particular—strive for many years and through much toil to earn their licenses to practice. This is not least of all because the state of Texas, along with every other state in the union, has determined that the practice of medicine is a responsibility of the highest order. People depend on medical practitioners to preserve their lives. Therefore, the possible responses by the Texas Medical Board—which regulates the licensure and maintenance of licenses among medical professionals—is actually at a subordinate level of worry for someone who practices medicine without a license—though it must not go ignored. Naturally, this goes for hucksters and those with criminal intent. But it also goes for doctors who, through some accident of oversight, permit their licenses to lapse.
In Texas, the Medical Board requires doctors to renew their licenses every two years, as detailed on the Texas Medical Board website. To qualify for renewal, a physician is required to complete 48 hours of continuing education during that same period. At times this requirement manages to slip from the consciousness of otherwise competent and even excellent doctors, who are lazer-focused on the more direct aspects of their jobs.
The same can be said for meeting the date of renewal. Sometimes it just slips the mind.
Nonetheless, no physician is permitted by either the Texas Medical Board rules or the Texas Occupation Code to practice for even a single day lacking an active license. And, worse, every day that a physician practices medicine without an active license is considered a new criminal event. This naturally also entails the loss of license to practice medicine.
So the first order of business—and it is business of the first order—is to ensure redundancy in the systems that inhere to renewing one’s license to practice medicine. Make sure you take those continuing medical education courses. Submit your license renewal on time. And if you don’t, make sure you cease to practice until you can rectify the situation.
Should you need to defend your license to continue practicing medicine, don’t hesitate to contact an experienced medical license defense attorney, like us here at BERTOLINO LLP. We proudly represent licensed medical professionals across the entire State of Texas. To best serve our clients, we have offices in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.
If you are facing disciplinary action from the Texas Medical Board for any reason, contact us today or call (512) 476-5757 and schedule a case evaluation.
Call or text (512) 476-5757 or complete a Case Evaluation form
