Progressive Professionals Program

The Medical University of South Carolina Progressive Professionals Program (PPP) is a service offered through the Community and Public Safety Psychiatry Division within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The PPP is a comprehensive evaluation, intervention, and monitoring service for professionals referred for problematic workplace conduct.

The PPP conducts comprehensive Fitness-for-Duty evaluations to provide expertise on the extent, nature, and severity of the presenting issue. The PPP also offers recommendations for intervention, treatment, and compliance monitoring. Specifically, services are available for assessing professional sexual misconduct, substance abuse and dependence, verbal and physical aggression, and cognitive impairment. Evaluations are conducted at an MUSC facility located outside of the main campus to facilitate the privacy of the professionals receiving services.

The PPP has experience serving state medical and other health care professional licensing boards, hospital systems, physician residency programs, graduate medical students, the federal government, an aircraft production corporation, law enforcement agencies, and private corporations.

Our clinical team consists of a multidisciplinary array of specialists including physicians, psychologists, a licensed professional counselor, and social workers. Team members include experts with board certifications in Forensic Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, Neurology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, General (Adult) Psychiatry, Clinical Sexology, and Forensic Psychology. We also have a neurocognitive psychologist, polygraph examiner and former sworn law enforcement professional on staff to provide evaluation services for indicated cases.

Diana Mullis, M.D. serves at the Director of MUSC’s PPP. Dr. Mullis is a board-certified psychiatrist who, along with the multidisciplinary team of specialists, has years of experience in this field of practice.

Overview of the Progressive Professionals Program Referral Issues & Services

Health care field: physicians, psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses, paramedics, other allied health care providers, and trainees in each of these areas.

  • Legal community: attorneys, paralegals, clerks, sworn police officers, crime scene investigators, community service officers, dispatchers, and forensic laboratory personnel
  • Transportation industry: aeronautical and maritime personnel

Please contact us about our expertise to assist with a profession not listed.

Problematic workplace conduct includes

  • Excessive tardiness, excess absences, or poor accessibility
  • Erratic or irrational behavior, exercising poor judgment/cooperation, defiance
  • Anger outbursts, verbal abuse, intimidation, or harassment of co-workers
  • Inappropriate patient or client interactions or adverse patient or client events
  • Sexual misconduct with co-workers, patients, clients, or other boundary violations

Referred professionals may have

  • Personality disorders, major mental disorders, cognitive impairment.
  • Substance abuse or dependence issues.
  • Interpersonal skill deficits, anger management issues.
  • Poor stress management skills or significant life stressors.
  • Other identifiable and manageable conditions.

Comprehensive fitness for duty evaluation services can include

  • Complete diagnostic evaluation/psychological and/or neurocognitive testing.
  • Complete substance abuse evaluation with biomarkers.
  • Neurological evaluation.
  • Functional analysis of problematic conduct.
  • 360° workplace assessment tool.
  • Detailed sexual behavior evaluation including clinical, psychometric, and physiological assessment methods with use of a certified sexual behaviors lab.
  • Opinion rendered on fitness to continue/resume professional duties.
  • Specific recommendations for remediation or intervention.

Comprehensive intervention program services can include

  • Personalized feedback with motivational interviewing.
  • Individual and group therapy.
  • Outpatient and inpatient treatment.
  • Substance use disorders treatment.
  • Pharmacological treatment.

Monitoring and continuing care services can include

  • Monitoring at regular intervals with 360° workplace assessments.
  • PPP staff can serve as liaisons between treatment providers with progress updates to the referral source.

For additional information or to request services: Please contact Heather Plunkett, Administrative Coordinator, at 843-792-1461 or via email at ppp@musc.edu.