VA doctor from Ottumwa agrees to indefinite license suspension

(Photo courtesy of the Iowa Board of Medicine)

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
September 24, 2025

A Veterans Administration physician from Ottumwa has agreed to an indefinite suspension of his license.

Earlier this year, the Iowa Board of Medicine charged Dr. Joshuan Nolan Hicks, 44, with violating an agreement or health contract he entered into with the Iowa Physicians Health Program.

According to the board, Hicks self-reported to the program, which assists physicians with substance abuse and alcohol issues, in June 2024. Sometime in 2025, the board alleges, Hicks consumed alcohol in violation of his agreement with the program and also failed to comply with toxicology testing requirements.

A board hearing on the matter had been scheduled for Aug. 5, 2025, but on July 31, 2025, Hicks agreed to a settlement that has resulted in the indefinite suspension of his Iowa medical license.

The agreement stipulates that before Hicks’ license can be reactivated, he must submit to an evaluation and participate in the Iowa Physicians Health Program if recommended. If Hicks is deemed ineligible for participation in the program, his license will be reinstated subject to three years of probation, according to the settlement agreement.

Board records indicate Hicks was issued an Iowa medical license in April 2017 after receiving his degree from Oklahoma State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. The records indicate he has worked as a general practice physician for the Veterans Administration’s Ottumwa clinic.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to reach Hicks for comment.

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