I know 2 people in very similar situations (expunged felonies).
The answer is YES, you MUST report it.
“expunged” for you means one thing an one thing alone - that you are actually eligible for a medical license. It does NOT mean you can without the information.
NO, you do not need a lawyer. This isn’t a legal issue - it’s between you and the schools.
Lots of people have lawyers tell them that “legally, you don’t need to report it an expunged crime” only to find out that the school doesn’t care if it’s “legal” to withhold that information - they care that you lied to them. Might come up on a background check, or it might not - if you lied or didn’t report, you’re gone.
The only exception is if the app explicitly says not to report an expunged crime, which I’ve never seen.
Yes, this will seriously hurt your ability to be accepted into a medical school.
I know two people from high school who got into medical school with expunged felonies. They both had top stats (think 3.8/517+ or so) and were soundly rejected by all MDs. Some of the new DO schools interviewed them. Both had 1 acceptance.
Will this come up in a background check? It depends on the state and the background check service. If they use CertiPhi or FBI check (like medical boards do), then I’d bet good money that this will pop up. Medical licensing background checks are NOT the same as your everyday job. They’re very thorough.