Do I have to reveal this to medical schools?

[contigo123]

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So basically, I have the following dilemma: I was caught with a fake ID over 2 years ago (in Berkeley, CA) and was charged with an infraction (not a misdemeanor). The county of Alameda has a diversion program to drop such charges by attending a 3-hour class and paying a $25 fee. When I spoke to my school legal counsel two years ago, he had said that this would not be shown in background checks run by employers and that my record will be clean. I was under the impression that nothing was put on my record in the first place, so this is different from "expungement" or "dismissal of conviction?" (Not sure on this since my knowledge of legal terms isn't that high)

Fast-forward 2 years later and I am applying to medical school. One of the schools I am applying to has the following statement: "You must disclose all convictions as well as all cases in which you pled guilty or nolo contendere, even if they have been expunged pursuant to Section 1203.4 of the Penal Code. This includes every citation, infraction, misdemeanor and/or felony, including traffic violations." And later on "Applicants should be aware that the Board receives information regarding actions that have been dismissed or expunged and the application forms advise applicants to disclose all prior convictions including those that have been dismissed or expunged." The last question states "Have you ever been convicted of a crime based on the Medical Board of California's criteria of criminal convictions?"

So my question is, do I need to report this incident that occurred 2 years back? I was under the impression then that my record will be wiped clean but idk how extensive the medical school background check is... will it actually pick up dropped charges of an infraction? Also technically I was never convicted of a crime, since the charges were dropped, so should I answer "No"? Input on how to approach this situation would be much appreciated.

EDIT: I did a LiveScan fingerprint test later that year in 2016 for an on-campus job and this never came up. With some research, I found that the Medical Board of CA uses the same scan, but AMCAs uses the Certiphi scan. I understand that it is better to err on the side of reporting things, but I would rather not report a dropped infraction charge if I don't have to

 

[sunshinefl]

So basically, I have the following dilemma: I was caught with a fake ID over 2 years ago (in Berkeley, CA) and was charged with an infraction (not a misdemeanor). The county of Alameda has a diversion program to drop such charges by attending a 3-hour class and paying a $25 fee. When I spoke to my school legal counsel two years ago, he had said that this would not be shown in background checks run by employers and that my record will be clean. I was under the impression that nothing was put on my record in the first place, so this is different from "expungement" or "dismissal of conviction?" (Not sure on this since my knowledge of legal terms isn't that high)

Fast-forward 2 years later and I am applying to medical school. One of the schools I am applying to has the following statement: "You must disclose all convictions as well as all cases in which you pled guilty or nolo contendere, even if they have been expunged pursuant to Section 1203.4 of the Penal Code. This includes every citation, infraction, misdemeanor and/or felony, including traffic violations." And later on "Applicants should be aware that the Board receives information regarding actions that have been dismissed or expunged and the application forms advise applicants to disclose all prior convictions including those that have been dismissed or expunged." The last question states "Have you ever been convicted of a crime based on the Medical Board of California's criteria of criminal convictions?"

So my question is, do I need to report the incident that occurred 2 years back? I was under the impression then that my record will be wiped clean but idk how extensive the medical school background check is... will it actually pick up dropped charges of an infraction? Also technically I was never convicted of a crime, since the charges were dropped? Input on how to approach this situation would be much appreciated.

1-by that definition you would have to disclose

2-I had a minor incident as a minor. When I disclosed while applying to undergrads, one asked me for official documentation to support my statement. As it was 15 years ago when I was a minor, released to my parents, and my parents have since divorced and moved multiple times, I didn’t personally posess any documents. When I tried to retrieve any, none existed.

When applying to medical schools, I followed the strict definitions of each primary and secondary application. If it remotely included my situation, I erred to the side of disclosure unless explicitly not included.

Did it hurt me when applying? I’ll never know. But it never got brought up at any interview I did have (all DO).

3-I’m not a lawyer and this isn’t legal advice. Seek an attorney for professional legal clarification.

 

[ClimbsRox]

Get a legal consult from a criminal attorney, probably one that specializes in expungements, as they would have a more detailed understanding of your type of infraction.

 

[catsleepingonacouch]

In that case you would have to disclose the infraction- even though it did not show up on a previous background check. If it didn't show up on the LiveScan I would be extremely surprised if it showed up on Certiphi; a friend of mine had a misdemeanor that was expunged as a juvenile and it did not show up on Certiphi.