Employment After a License Suspension

If you’re reading this you likely had some medical board investigation turn sour. Maybe you are on probation or had a license suspension or license termination. It’s not the end of the world and here is how you move forward. You are looking for employment after a license suspension which is not easy. But I have some suggestions.

Finding employment After a License Suspension

My name is Mohammad Ashori MD and I had a medical board investigation in 2017. Because I didn’t cooperate with the investigator in Oregon I got a 30-day medical license suspension.

I didn’t stop earning money because I had multiple income streams but I couldn’t practice medicine. For a few years after that, it was nearly impossible to find any clinical job. But that’s because I didn’t know any better.

The ultimate goal is to show that you can hold down a job after your medical board investigation – that’s how you secure future employment after a license suspension. After a few of these “private” jobs, you are ready to apply to a larger medical group with a full credentialing department.

Private Clinics

You see a small private clinic in your downtown or see a list on Google Maps of private clinics in your specialty. A solo private physician owns and operates that clinic and maybe they are looking for an associate.

They are not on the medical board’s radar. They simply want to ensure a good income and serve their patients. Assuming you are a decent human being – despite your medical board investigation – you can apply and land a job there.

Build your narrative. Work on showing on your resume that you are a standup clinician and willing to be a team player – it doesn’t take much.

You’ll call these clinics and apply and perhaps even put in some effort to convince them to hire you. Maybe you’ll take a pay cut or perhaps you’ll get a solid pay.

Urgent Care Clinic

Urgent care clinics are awesome. The work is easy and the patients are happy. If you haven’t done it in a while it does have a tiny learning curve but it isn’t hard.

Many are owned by a group of physicians and are private. Contact these groups and give them your narrative. Remember, the narrative is critical. If you can’t convince another physician as to what happened with your investigation you won’t convince a credentialing board later on.

Local ER

Many ER’s are popping up which are standalone ERs and private. These can save patients a lot of money.

Because they aren’t hospital affiliated you likely could find a job as a fast-track physician for simple cases. Think, coughs and colds, lacerations, and UTIs.

Primary Care Clinics

There are tons of small private primary care clinics all over your town. And if they aren’t part of a large medical group they likely won’t do extensive credentialing.

Again, it’s all about the narrative. You have to show them that you will take care of patients and that you have your shit together.

A lot of these clinics cater to underserved patients. They might be in areas that aren’t as desirable and the pay might not be what you expect. But it’s an incredible opportunity for your to rebuild your resume.

Remote Area Clinics

Think FQHC’s or other remote area clinics. These are clinical sites which help patients of lower socioeconomic means. In fact, there are incredible such networks all over the US.

I like these organizations because their goal is to provide good care to their patients. They know that they aren’t going to get the cream of the crop physicians but they want people who will work hard for their patients.

Volunteer Clinical Work

If you cannot land a job no matter what then look for clinical volunteer positions. A group like RAM can be a great place to start. If you’re a physician and you have an active license you can help out.

And if your license isn’t active then you already know that you have to put in some community hours to get it back.

Private Telemedicine Group

A lot of smaller physician groups or even private medical practices are getting in on the telemedicine game. They need physicians who are flexible with timing and technology.

You may not get a lot of hours with a group like this but you can bring your expertise and help grow out their virtual practice. Despite your medical board investigation history they likely would let you see their patients.

Sometimes there are practices out there that are considering this and you wouldn’t know about it unless you reach out and ask. It’s a lot of legwork, yes, but you’re in a tough position and it’s worth the effort.

Friend’s Practice

Do you have any friends from medical school or residency who have their own practice? Can they offer you a job there as a physician supervisor?

Maybe they aren’t comfortable with you seeing patients but they want to help you “reform” yourself. Anything can help.

Start Your Own Private Practice

Finally, you tried everything and nobody will hire you. Would you hire you? Great, you got a job!

You can be a sole proprietor and start your own private practice. You’ll be your own employee. You pay yourself a salary and with enough time passing you’ll hopefully be able to apply for a position somewhere else.

Of course, you might love what you’re doing at your own practice and never stop. That’s the whole crazy thing of this medical board investigation journey – sometimes something great comes of it.