While a DUI conviction can damage anyone’s reputation, livelihood, or financial situation, those that are licensed medical professionals are considered to be at an especially high risk for serious consequences. They can lose their license to practice, and, as evidenced in a recent DUI case involving an Illinois physician, their profession could actually be used against them. If you are a licensed medical professional who was recently arrested for a DUI, learn how you can best protect your future.
Using Your Duty to Protect Against You
As a healthcare professional, you have an implied, and in some cases, sworn duty to protect the public from harm. Driving under the influence of any substance, including alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, or other illicit substances, is in direct conflict with that duty. For this reason, the court may see your standing in the community as an aggravating factor in your DUI case, rather than a mitigating one. This is exactly what happened to a local orthopedic surgeon who was recently convicted of his seventh DUI and sentenced to six years in prison.
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