Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP)

I've worked with physicians who've needed help for mental health and/or substance abuse problems.  Some have lost their medical license. Others have been asked to leave medical school. 

Almost every state has a physician health/assistance program (PHP or PAP) that also provides services and advocacy support for medical students, residents, physician assistants, and physicians who may have suffer from mental health problems, substance abuse, drinking, addictions, legal problems, etc. These physicians are often "impaired" and they may lose their ability to practice medicine. They may lose hospital privileges. They may get dismissed from medical school. They may be asked to leave residency. They may lose their medical license.  If they're treatable, then perhaps they can regain entry into the medical system.


If you need to find support of an advocacy group, make sure to reach out to your state physician health program (PHP). Learn more about the Federation of State Physician Health Programs, Inc. (FSPHP), where they have a list of each state's physician health/assistance programs. Some of these programs operate within the state medical society. Others are independent organizations. Many of these state programs also provide services for other healthcare professionals such as pharmacists, nurses, NPs, PAs, therapists, dentists, etc.

Here's a snippet about the FSPHP:

The Federation of State Physician Health Programs, Inc. (FSPHP), is a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is to provide a forum for education and exchange of information among state programs, to develop common objectives and goals, to develop standards, to enhance awareness of issues related to physician health and impairment, to provide advocacy for physicians and their health issues at local, state, and national levels, and to assist state programs in their quest to protect the public.

The goals of the FSPHP are to:

* achieve national and international recognition as a supporter of state physician health programs.
* promote the best medical care possible for all patients.
* promote early identification, treatment, documentation, and monitoring of ongoing recovery of physicians prior to the illness impacting the care rendered to patients.
* pursue consistent standards, language, and definitions among state physician health programs.
* maintain an organizational structure that will help achieve its vision and mission.

Learn more about the Federation of State Physician Health Programs, Inc. (FSPHP) by visiting: http://www.fsphp.org and remember that almost all of these programs also provide support and resources for medical students as well.