Medical Could I match?

[lord999]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi all,
I am struggling here. I just Matched this year for my medical residency (non- surgical neither anesthesia). During the onboarding process I had to pass a urine drug test. I smoked some weed during a trip outside the U.S (this was 3 weeks before the test). So, one day before my urine screen, I tested myself on a test kit that I bought on amazon, which came back negative. As it said 99% accurate, FDA approved it; I went confident for the real test. The real deal came back positive for marijuana. I almost died. Human resources contacted me and told me that my contract will be withdrawn and it was! Currently the GME office of my program waived my contract with the NRMP and most probably they will grant the waiver.
I know I am totally screwed and already lost any hope. My questions are:

• Can I apply again in the future? Will programs know about this situation? I asked HR and they did not give me any answer, just said: We don’t have any policies for this kind of situations.
• Is this going to hurt me during the process of getting my medical license?
• Or simpler: Will I have any chance to get into residency ever again in my life?
• Should I give up on my medical career and pursue a non-clinical one (research, public health)?

Please avoid the judgment and your personal opinions about marijuana. I am already having a hard time.
PS: I won’t touch marijuana ever again in my life! Lesson learned 🙁
Thanks!

Well, it's going to have an effect on medical licensing. I'm actually curious if they did the report to the National Provider Data Bank as it would be that severe a credentialing action.

This is theoretically contestable based on where you were and if it was legal there, but it probably was not and you did not declare it when you gave your sample.

Also in your downtime, you might want to look up specificity, sensitivity, and PPV again. The home test is nowhere that accurate and neither is the standard urinalysis. The Dasgupta is worth reading if you want to understand the actual parameters.

 

[gyngyn]

Yes, you can re-apply through the Match or accept another available position.
Get a token from your school and apply broadly. Don't forget to apply in the states where laws regarding recreational use have changed. They may still test for employment but the stigma of your history will probably be less if you should need to disclose.
Find a research gig in the meantime and look at sites like Find a Resident: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-residency/findaresident/
See Section D, pages 2 and 3: http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Waiver-Policy.pdf

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Yes, you can apply again in the future.
No, this is not reported to the NPDB, nor the medical board.
You were not fired. You failed the onboarding process. You were never hired.
If programs check with the NRMP, they will see that you matched and had your match waived, without explanation.
Even if legal in the state you applied, employers can usually deny you employment if you test positive. But this likely varies by state.
Even though you could consider leaving this completely out of your ERAS application, I'd recommend you disclose it.