Felony conviction and Med School

[lehavre]

Hi I was wondering if any of you knew if I had a chance and med school admission with a felony conviction?

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[VPDcurt]

what did you do this time?

 

[evajaclynn]

you should do a search on the forums because there were a few posts about this just a few weeks ago. some schools are doing background checks now, so it is best to tell the truth, whatever your situation may be. Not too mention the ramifications of not telling the truth and then being found out!

 

[MadameLULU]

What did you do?

I have a friend who stole a car and crashed it. It hurt his chances at some schools (Baylor- he was waitlisted), but he got into Wash U and Colorado.

 

[lehavre]

What did you do?

I have a friend who stole a car and crashed it. It hurt his chances at some schools (Baylor- he was waitlisted), but he got into Wash U and Colorado.

I don't feel like getting into details, but involved an automobile, narcotics and prostitutes.

 

[Direct Laryngoscopy]

I can already feel the flame on my back but I feel if one does have a felony conviction, they should be excluded from the admission process. I mean its not that hard to abide by the law and follow the rules. Is it?

 

[Pinkertinkle]

I don't feel like getting into details, but involved an automobile, narcotics and prostitutes.

Well, at least it sounds like it was worth it.

 

[YzIa]

Well, at least it sounds like it was worth it.

word

 

[frantic983]

word

seriously!

 

[cammy1313]

I had a friend who was convicted of a crime and applied to law school. It didn't seem to affect his chances there since he is now in his second year of law. The only knowledge I have about med school is if you committed some sort of academic infraction as an undergrad. Anything that casts doubt as to your honor system is almost a guarantee that you will not be admitted to med school. Truthfully, I don't think that it would be harmful in calling a few schools and discussing this directly. That way you wouldn't have to disclose your name and might find an answer to your question.

 

[Direct Laryngoscopy]

I don't feel like getting into details, but involved an automobile, narcotics and prostitutes.

Dude you were associating with a criminal (prostitute) and in possession of a controlled substance (narcotics). God knows what the car was for. You couldn't have done these activities in your home?

 

[VPDcurt]

I don't feel like getting into details, but involved an automobile, narcotics and prostitutes.

respek

 

[VPDcurt]

I mean its not that hard to abide by the law and follow the rules. Is it?

We all make mistakes every now and then.

 

[YzIa]

seriously!

 

[JMD]

I can already feel the flame on my back but I feel if one does have a felony conviction, they should be excluded from the admission process. I mean its not that hard to abide by the law and follow the rules. Is it?

No flame, but I don't think it is as simple as excluding someone from the process. I know alot of people who have done alot of stupid things (myself included) and learned from them. In fact, I know some really good docs who have screwed up plenty of times.

I am not saying let convicts into medical school, but if they can show that the mistake they made when they were 18 was exactly that, a mistake, then they deserve a chance.

I think there is room in medicine for some people who didn't necessarily have their nose in a book their whole young life and may have experienced a bit more than they should have during that time... given that they can convey how they learned from that experience and don't have any intentions of doing something that stupid again.

 

[Will Ferrell]

Don't worry. Everyone has killed a prostitute or two during their younger days. In the words of Rick James: "Cocaine is a hell of a drug."

No. Unless if you have amazing numbers, you're screwed. Sorry dude.

 

[skoaner]

Hi I was wondering if any of you knew if I had a chance and med school admission with a felony conviction?

I'm guessing ~0 since many states won't let you attain a license to practice medicine with a felony conviction. Just what I've heard though

 

[DianaLynne]

Wow! I'm glad I've kept my miscreant status to only misdemeanors. And no, I've never killed a prostitute. And those pictures of me, well, I was young and needed the money...

 

[cytoskelement]

admission to a med school is the least of your worries.

i'm nearly positive that a felony conviction will exclude you from medical liscencing. so all that school and debt, never to be able to practice medicine, legally at least. but then again, sounds like upholding the law doens't seem too high on the old totem pole.

 

[Emergency!]

If your felony involved narcotics, your better question might be whether you can obtain a medical license if you would happen to get into med school. In order to prescribe controlled substances, you have to apply for a federal number. Certain types of felony convictions automatically exclude you from receiving a number.

 

[DrSwede]

OHSU enrolled a felon into their school last year. The people from OHSU stated that what determines whether or not you have a chance for acceptance is the nature of the crime. Basically they stated if it was a crime involving hurting another individual, that you probably don't have a chance.

 

[kstone13]

out of 201 people that disclosed felony convictions last year, only 2 got in, I read it from an report on the AAMC or aamcas website talking about running background checks, sorry no source. So unless you know somebody and your felony wasnt violent, sexual assault or drug related, then you may stand a chance. I have a misdemeanor and that seems to be turning into automatic grounds for rejection, no matter how good my app is and what I have said and done since. Of course your civil liberties gaurentees you the right not to be discriminated solely on your criminal background but we all know that those are just words. you can try and I wish you the best of luck but realize your flagged from the beginning and stand little to no chance. Sucks doesnt it.

 

[velo]

Hi I was wondering if any of you knew if I had a chance and med school admission with a felony conviction?

I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die and I got into a bunch of schools....good luck



or in the words of Neil Diamond (as played by will ferrell) "I once stabbed a drifter just to get an erection"

 

[superflyDO]

I know of people who were convicted of MAJOR narcotics trafficking (in the vicinity of $900,000 worth). He was accepted to SGU, got licensed in Texas and is practicing at a hospital. Licensing is a case by case situation, if it's been a while, they look past it. Trust me, I was so surprised about my friend that I did my research. SO don't listen to some of these ridiculous posts. And about 2 / 200 applicants with felonies getting in, there are a lot of other factors that must be factored in. Trust me, apply and you will get in given you have good stats and volunteer work. Also, appy to the top 3 Caribbean schools and maybe others depending on what state you wanna practice. YOU WILL BE FINE IF MY FRIEND IS!!!

 

[kstone13]

I know of people who were convicted of MAJOR narcotics trafficking (in the vicinity of $900,000 worth). He was accepted to SGU, got licensed in Texas and is practicing at a hospital. Licensing is a case by case situation, if it's been a while, they look past it. Trust me, I was so surprised about my friend that I did my research. SO don't listen to some of these ridiculous posts. And about 2 / 200 applicants with felonies getting in, there are a lot of other factors that must be factored in. Trust me, apply and you will get in given you have good stats and volunteer work. Also, appy to the top 3 Caribbean schools and maybe others depending on what state you wanna practice. YOU WILL BE FINE IF MY FRIEND IS!!!

of course you stand a very good chance of getting licensed if you stay straight in med school and excel, obviously. I was just stating that more than likely, ALLOPATHIC schools wont give him the time of day with a felony. Those stats explain themselves. And if the carribean is something that is appealing, more power to you

 

[45408]

We all make mistakes every now and then.

Most of my mistakes involve not studying enough, regretting a comment, not sleeping enough, etc. Not automobiles, narcotics and prostitutes (and you don't usually get caught the first time you pull something either).

 

[Code Brown]

OHSU enrolled a felon into their school last year. The people from OHSU stated that what determines whether or not you have a chance for acceptance is the nature of the crime. Basically they stated if it was a crime involving hurting another individual, that you probably don't have a chance.

Since I'm the school pre-med advisor (school is too cheap to hire someone), I have run across this on several occassions and have done some research on the topic for some students. I am not an expert on this though and you need to contact the individual schools for this so take this for what it is worth.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, here it is. Some schools will straight up reject you for this. This is nothing new and can be expected. Other schools will look at what happened.

If your crime was one that entailed "moral turpitude" (is this spelled right?), you are out of luck. These are basically crimes where people could label you as a scumbag and like Bedpan Commando (I love the name btw) said, include intentional crimes against other people (i.e. drugs, robbery, assault, murder, sex crimes, etc.)

The crimes they will look past include motor vehicle accidents where someone got hurt and some idiotic things you may have done as a youngster such as posession of a gun without a licence, vandalism, driving on a suspended drivers license, a DUI, etc. I am not saying that these things are minor, but that they are definitely fixable. You will just need to apply to a lot of schools to make sure you get enough people that can look past this.

That said, make sure you put this down on your application, as schools have begun to screen people that they accept and a big lie on your app will mean a big fat rejection in your mailbox (not to mention the fact that they report it to the AAMC who tell all the other schools about it.)

Good luck!

 

[Ypo.]

I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die and I got into a bunch of schools....good luck

Yes, but did you get caught? ie-is it on your record?

OP-If you are stupid enough to get caught with narcotics and a prostitute in your car, then maybe medicine is not the right profession for you anyways. I mean, for crying out loud. I have no respect for stupid criminals, only the smart ones. Don't be speeding with illegal drugs and hookers in the vehicle. Its a no brainer

 

[Blake]

Don't be speeding with illegal drugs and hookers in the vehicle. Its a no brainer

 

[kappasigMD41]

I don't feel like getting into details, but involved an automobile, narcotics and prostitutes.

Ummm, prostitute, narcotics......Lehavre wouldn't happen to be french for "Rick James."
Oh wait, he's dead. How about "Robert Downey, Jr." At the risk of sounding like a right-wing Jesus freak (which I am not), maybe you should consider a different career path. Whether we like it or not, many people hold doctors to a higher standard, i.e. they wouldn't want their physician to be someone with a history of such unsavory acts as being busted with narcotics and a hooker. Don't get me wrong, I am in favor of both vices , but you did get caught. Anyways, I'm sure the circumstances were very unusual, and you were on your way to church, and the cop was an a-hole......Hopefully you have your stuff together now, and I wish you the best of luck with the application process.

 

[BAM!]

Of course your civil liberties gaurentees you the right not to be discriminated solely on your criminal background but we all know that those are just words.

if you have a felony, you can't vote. That's discrimination based on criminal background.

cheers

 

[jules0328]

Alright, now, people, as one poster said before, we all make our mistakes. While I am not advocating having prostitutes and narcotics in a vehicle (boy, I cant believe people actually do this...am I sheltered!), lets not forget the leaders of our own free world. Our recent Presidents have not necessarily been of high moral character either and they run your country.

So, before you go judging anyone about their past and assume they are no good for medicine because of a silly mistake, think about the fact that we have a President in office AGAIN who has two DWI's and god knows what else brewing in that oval office!

 

[wendywellesley]

I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die

i love that line. i don't know why... it's so raw.

 

[SitraAchra]

i love that line. i don't know why... it's so raw.

LOL. remind me to say that to a girl when [oops, IF] i get her to come home w/ me.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

I don't feel like getting into details, but involved an automobile, narcotics and prostitutes.

ouch! i hope your one night of pleasure was worth it.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

No flame, but I don't think it is as simple as excluding someone from the process. I know alot of people who have done alot of stupid things (myself included) and learned from them. In fact, I know some really good docs who have screwed up plenty of times.

I am not saying let convicts into medical school, but if they can show that the mistake they made when they were 18 was exactly that, a mistake, then they deserve a chance.

I think there is room in medicine for some people who didn't necessarily have their nose in a book their whole young life and may have experienced a bit more than they should have during that time... given that they can convey how they learned from that experience and don't have any intentions of doing something that stupid again.

agreed especially if it happened at a young age. however repeating the same offense is a totally different story...and plain stupid.

 

[AwaPremed]

JUST wondering peoples - I have to answer yes to this question:
"Were you ever the recipient of any institutional action by any college or medical school for unacceptable academic performance or conduct violation, even though such action may not have interrupted your enrollment or required you to withdraw."

I had some stupid stuff happen when I was a froshie, academic probation bla bla and I'm wondering if I should just forget medical school all together? Should I just quit now? I really don't know what to do at this point. I'm afraid I'm wasting all of my time suffering through undergrad when I'm going to be rejected by every school whether or not I explain my situation and my stupid grades. HAS anyone got in after answering yes to this question. Should I explain that I am answering this question honestly and I am hoping that you will still consider me - this incident has changed me and has made me turn around my life and undergrad career bla bla bla???? Because ever since I made a dramatic turn around and changed completely. PLEASE people PM me or something - I NEED ADVICE.

And FElony conviction guy - I think it would make an interesting story if you explained your situation to adcoms - you should indicate exactly how you have learned from the experience and how it has changed you.

 

[Ypo.]

Alright, now, people, as one poster said before, we all make our mistakes. While I am not advocating having prostitutes and narcotics in a vehicle (boy, I cant believe people actually do this...am I sheltered!), lets not forget the leaders of our own free world. Our recent Presidents have not necessarily been of high moral character either and they run your country.

So, before you go judging anyone about their past and assume they are no good for medicine because of a silly mistake, think about the fact that we have a President in office AGAIN who has two DWI's and god knows what else brewing in that oval office!

Excellent point! And he was stupid enough to get caught

And a verified cocaine user as well. I'm so positive that Bush has had his shared of hookers, I'd be willing to bet one of my kidneys.

 

[superflyDO]

Alright, now, people, as one poster said before, we all make our mistakes. While I am not advocating having prostitutes and narcotics in a vehicle (boy, I cant believe people actually do this...am I sheltered!), lets not forget the leaders of our own free world. Our recent Presidents have not necessarily been of high moral character either and they run your country.

So, before you go judging anyone about their past and assume they are no good for medicine because of a silly mistake, think about the fact that we have a President in office AGAIN who has two DWI's and god knows what else brewing in that oval office!

Very good point... but it's hard to get it through the heads of some of the neurotic premeds that stay home ALL THE TIME. The OP should realize that admissions committees are not made up of neurotic premeds, they are made up of normal people who have probably made their fair share of mistakes. The main thing is 1.) How long ago it happened 2.) The nature of the crime. These will apply for both medical school and licensure. If my friend got licensure with that on his record, you should have no problem... and do keep in mind that many premeds are people who really do not get out much, other than to go to school. Admissions Committee is not made of those people. You made a mistake... express what you learned and how you've changed in your primary or secondaries and good luck! Remember, the president of the United States has 2 DWI and has used Cocaine (and that's only what we know!)... he has more responsibilities than a doctor. You can do it! Do not exclude the Caribbean either... you played, you gonna have to pay some now.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

JUST wondering peoples - I have to answer yes to this question:
"Were you ever the recipient of any institutional action by any college or medical school for unacceptable academic performance or conduct violation, even though such action may not have interrupted your enrollment or required you to withdraw."

I had some stupid stuff happen when I was a froshie, academic probation bla bla and I'm wondering if I should just forget medical school all together? Should I just quit now? I really don't know what to do at this point. I'm afraid I'm wasting all of my time suffering through undergrad when I'm going to be rejected by every school whether or not I explain my situation and my stupid grades. HAS anyone got in after answering yes to this question. Should I explain that I am answering this question honestly and I am hoping that you will still consider me - this incident has changed me and has made me turn around my life and undergrad career bla bla bla???? Because ever since I made a dramatic turn around and changed completely. PLEASE people PM me or something - I NEED ADVICE.

And FElony conviction guy - I think it would make an interesting story if you explained your situation to adcoms - you should indicate exactly how you have learned from the experience and how it has changed you.

if you were on academic probation, i think you need to answer "yes". go ahead explain how you grew and learned from the experience. I don't think it's a rejection; i think they will evaluate you as a whole person regardless of a bad semester. I was shocked somew of the grades people on this board are applying with. They redeemed themselves, i'm sure you will too. Good luck!

 

[opinionkitten]

a doctor at ucsd who interviews people told me this...his favorite question to ask people is "what is the worst thing to ever happen to you." someone responded that they had killed a man. the applicant apparently killed someone with his bare hands defending his younger brother or something, convicted of manslaughter, and was being interviewed at ucsd. so i guess if youve ever killed a man youre in the clear as far as interviews are concerned. anyway the doctor dug the story and went to bat for the kid, who was not accepted because he, alas, KILLED A MAN WITH HIS BARE HANDS.

 

[SitraAchra]

no degree can give you that kind of street cred



well..maybe Dr. Dre

 

[AwaPremed]

i think the thing is that people who have been convicted of a crime and make a dramatic turn around and then reach out to at-risk youth or people in the community and make a difference and advocate and mentor and actively do something so that others won't fall into the same trap. i believe those are the kind of people that deserve to get in. you have to turn your lessons learned into action and results. it's not enough to say that you regret it. i read the story of one person who went to jail was a former gang member, turned their life around, helped others and was offered a prestigious scholarship to a good college. you must craft an essay and an explanation that will allow adcoms to sympathize with you and believe that you are sincere and have changed.

thats what i believe it comes down to.