Criminal background check info

[bucketmouse]

A friend was charged with petty larceny about six or seven years ago, but his lawyer was able to have it lowered to something like "mischievous behavior" or something, he doesn't recall exactly. In any case, he recalls his lawyer saying that, on my friend's record, it would only show up as a low-level misdemeanor (in his words, "just above a traffic citation").

It has never hampered him from obtaining a job and the background check that was conducted on him while he was in CNA training came back clear. However, he believes they went through the OSBI (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation) as he now lives in Oklahoma.

Does anyone know through what company or government agency the AAMC uses to conduct their background checks? How would my friend go about conducting the same check on himself so he can have a look at his own record before applying?

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[vc7777]

A friend was charged with petty larceny about six or seven years ago, but his lawyer was able to have it lowered to something like "mischievous behavior" or something, he doesn't recall exactly. In any case, he recalls his lawyer saying that, on my friend's record, it would only show up as a low-level misdemeanor (in his words, "just above a traffic citation").

It has never hampered him from obtaining a job and the background check that was conducted on him while he was in CNA training came back clear. However, he believes they went through the OSBI (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation) as he now lives in Oklahoma.

Does anyone know through what company or government agency the AAMC uses to conduct their background checks? How would my friend go about conducting the same check on himself so he can have a look at his own record before applying?

AAMC uses Certiphi. If there is any question about what the background check may find, I believe they do offer the service for a price.

FWIW, the background check wasn't completed in my case until well after (months) I had first acceptance.

http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/background.htm

 

[TexasMDtobe]

AMCAS doesn't give you the information (meaning the web address and package code) to run a self-background check through Certiphi until after you submit your application. Doesn't make much sense to me.

However, my Texas school used certifiedbackground.com to check me out, and that website does let you buy a background check for personal use at any time. I ran one on myself using the search criteria outlined by AMCAS and TMDSAS prior to applying last year just to soothe my pre-med neuroticism. Cost like $40 and took a couple of days.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Can't your friend get it expunged? He can't get discriminated if he has it expunged unless that has changed lately. Anyone can confirm it is still the case that an individual with an expunged record can apply as not having a record?

 

[TriagePreMed]

Lets be realistic here. Medical School is extremely competitive. Any blemish in your record will automatically send you packing. That's how the real world works. Now the question at hand is if the AAMC still has the policy that allows you to say "no" to a criminal record if it was expunged. Anyone who has an expunged record, is allowed to list it as a no, and still reveals all of it to the admissions committee, is a complete *****. No way around that.

 

[Bernoull]

Lets be realistic here. Medical School is extremely competitive. Any blemish in your record will automatically send you packing. That's how the real world works. Now the question at hand is if the AAMC still has the policy that allows you to say "no" to a criminal record if it was expunged. Anyone who has an expunged record, is allowed to list it as a no, and still reveals all of it to the admissions committee, is a complete *****. No way around that.

The first part of this is simply false. Med schools realize that applicants are imperfect and humans err, and criminal histories will be reviewed in context of the charge(s)/conviction(s) vis-a-vis its recency, severity and "how many". This is done for two main purposes public/pt safety and ability to become licensed. Any cursory search will show med student with misdemeanor records, felonies are virtually insurmountable.

I agree with ur second portion to the extent that secondaries don't specifically ask to all charges irrespective of court disposition, sealment/expunction.

 

[peters]

Probably he is fine as long as his previous criminal record got clear. There are plenty online sites which offer criminal check, he could try several of them and see what comes up. Unfortunately i have no idea what company or government agency the AAMC uses to conduct their background checks, but he should give it a try, most of the times the employer is looking for more serious acts, they might consider his background ok anyways.

 

[ruraldocmom]

My school used certiphi and I just got my copy of the record back. It was after I got accepted, and the e-mail came from certiphi and totally looked like spam, so I had to call and double check. Every single county/city/state/National Criminal database listed out. It went on and on and on...

Of course, I have no felonies/misdemeanors, but by page 10 of this thing, I was starting to worry if maybe there was something I forgot about, or something they dug up. Pretty-crazy-thorough! If you are worried, I would probably try to get a copy... it looks like it will probably show up on this thing.

 

[235750]

Listen to TriagePremed. Until you matriculate you are still at the mercy of admissions. Why take a chance? Don't give them an excuse to look down one on the list & go with someone else

I strongly agree that you should pay to get the charges expunged. It's a lot of cash to get it done, but trust me it's money well spent.

If the convictions don't stop you from matriculating, at the minimum it will make things more difficult for you in the future.

I have a family member who was convicted of possessing less than an 1/8 of cannabis almost 20 yrs ago. He was able to complete medical school/residency with little problem, but when he moved to FL and then TX he was required to go before the licensing board and explain himself. How stupid is that? He lost about a month of work in each instance, so it's really not worth it

 

[EdLongshanks]

My school used certiphi and I just got my copy of the record back. It was after I got accepted, and the e-mail came from certiphi and totally looked like spam, so I had to call and double check. Every single county/city/state/National Criminal database listed out. It went on and on and on...

Of course, I have no felonies/misdemeanors, but by page 10 of this thing, I was starting to worry if maybe there was something I forgot about, or something they dug up. Pretty-crazy-thorough! If you are worried, I would probably try to get a copy... it looks like it will probably show up on this thing.

What about traffic tickets. Some states consider those "misdemeanors" does that mean I should have answered "yes" to "convicted of misdemeanors"

 

[MCAT guy]

A friend was charged with petty larceny about six or seven years ago, but his lawyer was able to have it lowered to something like "mischievous behavior" or something, he doesn't recall exactly. In any case, he recalls his lawyer saying that, on my friend's record, it would only show up as a low-level misdemeanor (in his words, "just above a traffic citation").

It has never hampered him from obtaining a job and the background check that was conducted on him while he was in CNA training came back clear. However, he believes they went through the OSBI (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation) as he now lives in Oklahoma.

Does anyone know through what company or government agency the AAMC uses to conduct their background checks? How would my friend go about conducting the same check on himself so he can have a look at his own record before applying?

How come the friend of the guy always comes on here and not the actual guy? HMMMMMMM.

My friend had a similar problem 10 years ago, he was in a crack commando unit that was sent to prison by a military counil for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... my friend's team.

 

[ruraldocmom]

How come the friend of the guy always comes on here and not the actual guy? HMMMMMMM.

My friend had a similar problem 10 years ago, he was in a crack commando unit that was sent to prison by a military counil for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... my friend's team.

dum-de-dum-dah, duh-dum-duh, da-da-duh-da-da-duh

I love it when a plan comes together