Washington state law mandates that “each [medical] license holder must self report any conviction, determination, or finding that he or she has committed unprofessional conduct.” State law also defines “unprofessional conduct” as “the commission of any act involving moral turpitude, dishonesty, or corruption relating to the practice of the person’s profession, whether the act constitutes a crime or not.”
What You Need To Decide
Here’s where your interpretation comes in. If you’re not certain about whether your criminal matter “relates to” your profession, you do have the choice to decide that it doesn’t and to subsequently not disclose it to the state Department of Health. But because failing to disclose this material fact to the Department may subject you to a separate track of discipline when you’re obtaining or reinstating a license, you should consider consulting an attorney before making any decision.
Even if you are ultimately convicted of your DUI/DWI charge, that charge may fall within the state’s “unprofessional conduct” standard—that is, “current misuse of alcohol [or] controlled
substances”
