The Top 10 Must-Know Tips for Every License Holder
Your professional license represents years of education, training, and dedication—yet many practitioners don’t understand the critical steps needed to protect it until it’s too late. This special episode of Know Your Regulator distills wisdom from dozens of interviews with regulators, attorneys, and industry experts into ten essential tips that every license holder needs to hear.
From the seemingly simple advice of keeping your own records (backed up and accessible) to understanding when and why you absolutely need legal representation, each tip addresses real vulnerabilities that have derailed careers. We explore why “I didn’t know the rules” won’t save your license, how digital documentation shortcuts can look like deliberate fraud “up on the big screen,” and why even 20+ years of professional experience might not meet Texas licensing requirements if you’re relocating.
Experts share candid insights about what triggers complaints, why professional liability insurance isn’t just for doctors, and the critical importance of immediate response when your regulatory body contacts you. The stakes couldn’t be higher—a missed deadline, poor record-keeping, or attempting to defend yourself without proper counsel could cost you the career you’ve worked so hard to build. As one guest bluntly puts it, “Don’t fart around. Get on it right away.”
Whether you’re newly licensed or decades into your profession, these practical, actionable tips will help you navigate regulatory challenges and protect your professional standing. Your license is your livelihood—take these expert-backed steps to safeguard it properly. Subscribe and follow Know Your Regulator for more insights now!
Transcript
Speaker 1: 0:01
This podcast is for educational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal assistance about a legal problem, contact an attorney.
Speaker 2: 0:13
Welcome to Know your Regulator, the podcast that inspires you to engage. I’m your host, simone Murphy, and today’s episode is going to look a little bit different. Whether you are decades into your profession or you’re new to your career, this episode is going to deliver the most essential real-world advice that we have heard from across dozens of interviews with industry experts, regulators and licensed professionals. So these are the top 10 tips that every license holder needs to hear, and we’re going to back them each with insights straight from the experts. So let’s get started. We’re going to kick it off with tip number one, which is keep your own records.
Speaker 3: 0:57
Seriously, don’t rely on anyone else, like your supervisor or your school, to keep these records for you. Maintain your own records, keep copies of them, because at a minimum maybe we can do something with that. If we can’t get what we call a primary source copy of it. There are still things we can do to get you in, but we can’t do much if we’re not just going to take your word on. If you say, well, I had those hours, but the hospital burned down, okay, well, I’m sorry, that’s going to be one of those insurmountable obstacles there.
Speaker 2: 1:24
It sounds extreme, but it happens. Make sure that your files are backed up. They’re accessible. Your license may depend on it. Tip number two know the rules that govern you. Know the rules that apply to your license. Don’t wait until you’re in trouble to learn them.
Speaker 4: 1:39
You know again, be mindful, stay professional and, more importantly, know the boundaries that your board expects you to uphold.
Speaker 2: 1:46
Every board publishes their rules. Bookmark them, read them. Knowing them is part of your professional duty. Tip number three respond immediately when your licensing board contacts you. That is not the time to procrastinate. Don’t fart around.
Speaker 5: 2:02
Get on it right away.
Speaker 6: 2:02
Obviously I agree, don’t fart around, Get on it right away. Obviously I agree that’s something my mom would say right, like respond immediately.
Speaker 5: 2:09
It is our responsibility, when we have a license, to respond to the agency that is issuing the license.
Speaker 2: 2:17
Missing a deadline could mean missing an opportunity to defend yourself. Open your mail, respond quickly. Tip number four get professional liability insurance. It’s not just for doctors or for hospitals, it’s for any professional with a license.
Speaker 1: 2:33
Anybody giving advice and recommendations. I think would want to cover that advice and recommendations Because one disgruntled person or you know, let’s say you’re dealing with somebody that you, just you can’t make happy, no matter what, even if it’s not your fault, at least you got a leg to stand on with. Having a errors and omissions policy or professional liability policy would cover your legal defense cost, even if you’re wrongfully sued, Good insurance covers your legal defense, even if the complaint has no merit.
Speaker 2: 3:08
Tip number five know your license portability limits. Are you planning to move to Texas? Don’t assume that your license will transfer automatically.
Speaker 3: 3:17
We have a lot of people come to Texas who want to be LPCs. Texas has probably one of the more stringent LPC licensing requirements in the country in that we require 3,000 hours of supervised experience. A lot of states only require 2,000 hours. So we have individuals come here who have 20 plus years of experience practicing professional counseling in another state, maybe even serve as a supervisor training new counselors in that state, and when they get here I tell them you can’t have a license, you don’t have enough supervised experience.
Speaker 2: 3:47
Texas may need you, but it still has its standards. Check your portability early. Tip number six don’t wait to renew. Don’t put off your license renewal.
Speaker 5: 3:57
Some requirements cannot be rushed If the licensee completes the training right before his or her deadline, they can run into the problem of not being able to renew their license on time. They can run into the problem of not being able to renew their license on time. A hold is initially placed on every licensee that is due for renewal until proof of that training has been received. When we lift the renewal hold, it does take two full business days for our database to integrate with Texasgov, which is where they pay their payments. So a lot of times licensees have to renew late because they’re waiting to the last minute.
Speaker 2: 4:32
Make sure you mark your calendar and take care of your renewals early. Tip number seven know what triggers complaints. Be aware of what triggers complaints for your agency and then absolutely avoid it.
Speaker 7: 4:44
According to our most recent compliance and investigations report, our three most common complaints are billing violations, standard of care violations and patient records violations. Now, each of these three broad categories includes multiple different types of violations. Billing violations can include insurance fraud, charging clearly excessive amounts, billing for services not rendered or just submitting a bill for treatment that the provider should reasonably know is improper or unreasonable or medically unnecessary.
Speaker 2: 5:23
It’s not always about intent. Sloppy paperwork itself is enough to get flagged. Tip number eight don’t DIY your defense. Don’t try and defend yourself alone. You need legal help.
Speaker 4: 5:36
And I think that I need to even overemphasize it, now more than ever, the importance of hiring a legal counsel, someone who’s experienced in these kinds of matters. All too often we have clients that have come in and they’ve experienced a suspension of their license because they represented themselves and they were know they experienced, you know, a suspension of their license because you know they represented themselves and they were under the impression that, hey, I can handle it on my own. I know that. You know I can learn the procedure, I can Google it, I can get on chat, gpt, I can do all these things and become a lawyer overnight and handle this on my own. And that’s not the case, particularly, you know, with emergency suspensions whether you’re dealing with an emergency suspension where you’re able to participate in the hearing or dealing with an emergency suspension that was granted without your participation. At the end of the day, you know you trying to handle it on your own is a huge, huge mistake.
Speaker 2: 6:30
Your license is way too valuable to risk. Hire someone who knows the system. Tip number nine avoid digital shortcuts. Be very careful with your digital records. What you think is harmless could look like fraud.
Speaker 6: 6:45
The leading documentation is the equivalent of like ripping up a piece of paper. Sometimes I don’t think that they realize that that’s the equivalent of it, because there’s so many things that can be normalized in our environment and audit trails which I’m sure we’re going to talk about in a minute are very real and that stuff can be seen and that never looks good up on the big screen the big screen. What we’re going to reference many times is going to be anytime you’re in a court of law, so that’s just like a you, like a witty little phrase that I like to say, but the reality is when you’re sitting in a courtroom and that will be up on the big screen and you’re going to be asked about were you copying and pasting? So that’s an issue.
Speaker 2: 7:27
Treat your digital documentation with the same care you would your paper charts. Tip number 10, and our final tip be honest. Be honest and forthright, especially during investigations.
Speaker 8: 7:40
Really, you know, be honest, right. That’s, I think, makes more impression on everybody, including us. If you tell the truth, we can’t always predict what the outcome is going to be, but if everyone knows what happened, then it usually leads to better results for everybody. And when you mislead, not only do we get upset, usually the judges do as well.
Speaker 2: 8:00
Accountability goes a long way. Honesty often leads to an informal resolution. That wraps up our top 10 tips for license holders. Whether you are renewing, applying or responding to a complaint, these tips are here to help you protect your license and your livelihood. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, follow, subscribe and check out our full Know your Regulator library for more episodes. Until next time, stay inspired and continue engaging with your regulatory agency. Know your Regulator, the podcast that inspires you to engage.