A real estate agent in Texas who finds they are accused of some sort of professional wrongdoing may be at risk of losing their license to sell real estate. This is a dire situation, as the loss of the license to sell real estate effectively ends a real estate agent's career in the industry. The Texas Real Estate Commission is the regulatory agency responsible for overseeing both the licensing of real estate agents and managing...
Details »
The medical professionals of Texas must do all they can to protect their medical licenses—as they are, for the most part, aware. The situations surrounding the practice of medicine, often involving heightened emotion, anxiety, and expectations that may exceed reality, create a scenario ripe for the lodging of formal complaints with the Texas Medical Board. This, in turn, puts medical professionals' livelihoods at risk. Despite the many years of education, residency, and even practice, a...
Details »
The nurses of Texas are a rare breed of professional, who routinely place the well-being of others above their own and provide life-saving (and life-changing) care. As the "human face" of healthcare, they have a whole host of responsibilities, and in some cases those responsibilities overlap with the responsibilities of doctors. But nurses must be very careful not to cross over into providing assistance to patients that goes beyond the scope of their authority. There...
Details »
Texas's child care operations fall under the regulatory auspices of Texas Child Care Licensing (CCL), a subsidiary to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. CCL's responsibility is to permit and monitor both operations and agencies within its realm of subject matter to ensure that they are in compliance with all state laws, licensing standards, and agency rules. In other words, it regulates every child care operation and child placing agency in the state....
Details »
Receiving notice that a formal complaint has been filed with a licensing board is one of the biggest fears among Texas professionals—and with reason. These formal complaints can have enormous repercussions on the reputation, career, and livelihood of a professional—ranging from a mere disciplinary slap on the wrist all the way to outright revocation of the license to practice. As such, when such a notice arrives in the mail or by courier, it can be...
Details »
The dedicated EMTs and paramedics of Texas help our citizens when they are in dire need of medical aid. They are the lifeblood of the emergency rescue system in our state's healthcare infrastructure, and they go through a great deal of training to earn their Emergency Medical Services certification or license. Yet all it may take is one formal complaint to ruin the reputation, career, and livelihood of one of these brave and selfless heroes....
Details »
The licensing boards, commissions, and agencies of Texas are endowed by the legislature with extensive power to regulate the behavior of those to whom they grant licenses. While there are small differences between the procedures some of the licensing boards take—since each regulatory agency or licensing Board has its own process of complaint investigation and resolution—all of their powers are enumerated in the Texas Administrative Code and in the statutes that define their operations. Most...
Details »
When a medical professional decides to fight a formal complaint against their license—which they should do every time—it can sometimes mean that the complaint process will move beyond the Texas Medical Board's internal procedure. When this happens, the case often goes to the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). Of course, it must be said that the vast majority of cases that actually end with disciplinary action taken by the Texas Medical Board are resolved...
Details »
Compliance Inspections made by the Texas Board of Veterinary Examiners may be conducted on veterinarians at any time, unannounced. Naturally, this is a source of consternation for Texas veterinarians. The Board uses these Compliance Inspections as a way to determine and keep track of common problems that occur in veterinary practice on a chronic basis, such as issues with controlled substances, prescription labels, and continuing education. Any issue found to be problematic and ongoing may...
Details »
When a pharmacist receives a notice of formal complaint from the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, there is a natural tendency to feel a sense of panic. After all, most pharmacists are well aware that a complaint against their license can result in discipline—up to and including revocation of licensure. Anyone can file a complaint against a licensed pharmacist in Texas—from customers to fellow pharmacists—so long as they do so in writing. When the Board...
Details »