Your professional license may be subject to various disciplinary actions, the severity of which will depend on the nature of the alleged violation, the specific regulatory board involved, and other relevant circumstances. Discipline actions taken against licensed professionals are governed and regulated by an intricate network of administrative rules and regulations.
The state’s licensing board has the authority to issue a warning and fines for less serious violations. These warnings could be private or public. A private citation stays private, but one that is made public becomes part of the public records and may impact your professional standing. However, based on the violations and the penalty schedule established by the governing body, the fines might range anywhere from a couple of hundred to several thousand dollars.
Your licensing board has the authority to serve a cease and desist order in certain situations, which would oblige you to stop engaging in illegal conduct. There may be additional consequences for noncompliance, including legal proceedings.
You could be permitted to carry on with your work as a professional while on probation, but only under specific limitations. These can involve filing regular reports to the board, going through drug testing, enrolling in additional education programs, or working under a licensed professional's supervision.
If your license is suspended, you will not be able to practice for a specific amount of time. The duration of a suspension might be anything from a couple of weeks to a few years, and it could have conditions to be reinstated, such as finishing a rehabilitation course or passing your reexamination.
Revocation is the harshest penalty that can be applied to your license. This means that you will forever lose your ability to practice professionally in California. You could apply for reinstatement after a specified number of years, based on the board's decision and the severity of the offense. However, there is no guarantee.
The state's licensing board may order additional training or education for a certain period. Failure to comply could result in serious consequences. In some cases, the board can also require you to work under strict supervision for a specified period. This could involve having another qualified expert supervise your work, conduct peer reviews, or both.
Other disciplinary measures include:
In situations where an individual poses a serious risk to public safety, their license could be temporarily suspended until an official proceeding is held. Some disciplinary actions taken against you could require you to notify your employers or relevant regulatory agencies.