Doctors / Physicians (Texas Medical Board)
A physician’s license represents a career, and a DWI can put it at risk. The Texas Medical Board (TMB) regulates physician conduct closely, imposes self-reporting duties, and can refer physicians for evaluation or discipline. Understanding the rules early, and mounting a strong criminal defense, is how you protect your ability to practice.
Physicians must self-report, within 30 days
The Texas Medical Board requires physicians to self-report a conviction within 30 days. This duty reaches felonies and Class A, B, and C (of moral turpitude) misdemeanors, and it also extends to deferred adjudication for certain intoxication-related offenses. In other words, even a resolution that isn’t a conviction may still be reportable, and failing to report is itself a violation.
What the Board can do
For a misdemeanor DWI, a first offense alone will not normally trigger a license suspension, but it can prompt an inquiry and, commonly, a referral to the Texas Physician Health Program (TXPHP) for evaluation of possible substance concerns. A TXPHP referral can lead to monitoring agreements that affect your practice for years.
The stakes rise sharply with a felony. Under Texas Occupations Code § 164.057, a conviction for felony DWI, including intoxication assault or intoxication manslaughter: requires suspension of the medical license. That makes fighting a felony DWI, or keeping a case from becoming a felony, critical for a physician.
The defense protects the license
Because the Board acts on the criminal outcome, the best license protection is a strong DWI defense: a dismissal or reduction can eliminate the conviction that drives Board action, and keeping a case at the misdemeanor level avoids the mandatory-suspension trigger. We also help physicians navigate the reporting obligation carefully so a good-faith disclosure doesn’t become a second problem.
Are you a physician facing a DWI in Houston? Call Blass Law at (713) 664-4000. We know how a DWI intersects with TMB rules and defend both your case and your career.
(Related: nurses & DWI · can my medical license be revoked? · intoxication assault)