left out small misdemeaners on amcas application

[woo101]

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I had a speeding ticket (reckless driving) and underage possession of alcohol ticket when i was younger. I didn't think they mattered when I filled out the application. I wish I had put them on, but at the time I didn't think it mattered. I was accepted into medical school for this upcoming fall. Should i change it on my application and inform my medical school or is it not a big deal??

Thanks this has been worrying me alot..

 

[ShyRem]

If the application asked for *any* offenses other than minor traffic, then you probably should have listed them. I would probably err on the side of caution and call the admin office where you've been accepted (just in case they do a background check and find out). If you don't want to tell them who you are, have a friend call and ask. But it would truly suck if you got booted later for not revealing this information.

 

[bigfrank]

I had a speeding ticket (reckless driving) and underage possession of alcohol ticket when i was younger. I didn't think they mattered when I filled out the application. I wish I had put them on, but at the time I didn't think it mattered. I was accepted into medical school for this upcoming fall. Should i change it on my application and inform my medical school or is it not a big deal??

Thanks this has been worrying me alot..

I wouldn't worry about. Med Schools don't do background checks on accepted students. This would have come up before now if it was deemed pertinent.

 

[oudoc08]

I wouldn't worry about. Med Schools don't do background checks on accepted students. This would have come up before now if it was deemed pertinent.

Background checks are becoming a requirement however for working in hospitals in your 3rd/4th year. We just had to pay to have them done as a 2nd yr. in preparation for 3rd year, and were told that it is becoming a nationwide standard as part of hospital accredidation.

As they weren't serious offenses, I would call the admissions office and let them know. Say you were reviewing your materials and noted the omission, and were calling around to let everyone know.

They'll appreciate your honesty, and besides, it's the professional thing to do.

As well, the nature of the offenses shouldn't cause your status to be changed. If you had a sexual assault conviction, I'd venture to say you'd be out, but a minor in possesion? I seriously, SERIOUSLY doubt it.

To be found out later, even if by chance, however, is a big deal, and could possibly result in disciplinary action.

 

[CANES2006]

I wouldn't say anything. You're just asking for trouble if you do.

 

[marcus_aurelius]

I had a speeding ticket (reckless driving) and underage possession of alcohol ticket when i was younger. I didn't think they mattered when I filled out the application. I wish I had put them on, but at the time I didn't think it mattered. I was accepted into medical school for this upcoming fall. Should i change it on my application and inform my medical school or is it not a big deal??

Thanks this has been worrying me alot..

forget it happened and dont tell anyone....and dont tell u're future classmates either...lest someone decide to turn you in (never underestimate your anal retentive gunner)

they are MUCH less likely to boot you 3rd year after investing money on your training. they are MORE likely to replace you with someone off the waitlist now.


this is just my opinion though.

as for professionalism...i know of tons of complete jacka**es in medical school....being nice isnt a requirement to be a doctor....just a requirement for kissing a** during interviews, rotations etc.....just study hard......i'd say a good portion of docs have a blemish on the record and your thing is very miniscule in comparison. doesnt make u a bad person or a bad future doc...forget about it. there are worse people in med schl with "perfect" records (say someone who'd screw a friend over to get the better grade).
(note: not everyone is like that)

stop worrying and take a vacation.

 

[Rafa]

If these occurred while you were underage...

(youthful indiscretion)

 

[lealf-ye]

I made some stupid mistakes on my med school application as well and did not bother to correct them as I think little things would not matter. everyone forget some not-so-important stuff like this. nobody is going to check your background. no worry. 🙂

 

[SkylineMD]

my school runs background checks on its students in first year. It's a new policy that was implemented and from what they stated in the email, it was something most medical schools were beginning to start.

Just to avoid any problems, it might be wise to let them know. If you have multiple acceptances, it would be nice to avoid the school that will punish you for it.

 

[MeowMix]

Some schools now do require a background check for all accepted applicants, and the ones that don't, soon will. It would have been better to tell the truth, since people certainly get into med school after these kinds of offences (someone in my class did so). Not telling the truth about it brings up serious questions about your integrity and professionalism (since you almost certainly knew that you should have declared even these "small" misdemeanors on your AMCAS; the argument that you didn't think they mattered doesn't really cut it, since AMCAS is absolutely clear that they do).

As someone said, you will almost certainly encounter a hospital background check for MS3 rotations, so it's on the way. Also, on all state applications for MD licensure, you will also encounter questions related to alcohol or non-prescription drugs. Some states allow you to only declare events within the past 5 years; others have a longer timeline. Lying on your licensure app is really asking for trouble.

The right way to do it? Get in touch with the school and tell the truth. Is it risky? I don't know. If you know any students at the school, see if they can find out some more information for you.

 

[predodoc]

I got a minor in possession of alcohol and got in, but I filled out that I did get the offense. When applying, I really questioned if I should tell them and shoot myself in the foot or forget about it. First thing you should do is read over exactly what they are requiring you to put down. Some schools say any offense except minor traffic offenses, Others say convictions, and others will say felony. I actually let a friend of the family ( who is a Lawyer) look to see if I was bound to putting anything. My incident was that my friend was pulled over for speeding on the way to spring break, searched our car and found some beer in the back of the car, and we were stupid enough to claim it belonged to all of us and not just the driver. They never said anything about it during my interview. Since you are already in, they are most likely not going to kick you out, just tell them you forgot or that you didnt know it was that it was a big enough offense to put down until you heard otherwise from a friend. Then apologize and ask them if they would like a written explanation of the offense.

 

[woo101]

Half of the replies say to forget it and the other half say to report it. If I did report that I overlooked it when I filled out my application or didn't realize what a misdemeanor was and I noticed it why reviewing my application materials and just wanted to be completely honest. Does anyone think there is any chance of them withdrawing my admittance?

 

[logos]

I wouldnt say a word about it unless I checked with an attorney first. You're just asking for trouble. Very easy to boot you at this point in the game...pleanty of people on the wait list.


My school did background checks (the kind with fingerprints too) during our orientation week. I dont know if minor misdamenors come up though...might just be felony stuff...

 

[Rafa]

Wouldn't this stuff be legally invisible once you became an adult?

 

[DizzyNT]

my school runs background checks on its students in first year. It's a new policy that was implemented and from what they stated in the email, it was something most medical schools were beginning to start.

Just to avoid any problems, it might be wise to let them know. If you have multiple acceptances, it would be nice to avoid the school that will punish you for it.

Yeah same thing here, just started it and basically ran one on everyone (and we had to pickup the bill) said it was for both school and hospitals. On application iirc we had to list any priors to.

 

[woo101]

Wouldn't this stuff be legally invisible once you became an adult?

the underage was at age 19 I would be considered an adult.

 

[Bixlar]

the underage was at age 19 I would be considered an adult.

The best thing you can do is pony up the $500 (or so) and get a lawyer to file the paperwork to expunge your record. Problem solved within a few months.

 

[thesauce]

The best thing you can do is pony up the $500 (or so) and get a lawyer to file the paperwork to expunge your record. Problem solved within a few months.

That's what I did and I'd say that's a good fix for the long run. Find a lawyer and get that started.

As for right now it's best to just keep quiet. If they require a background check for incoming students (like my school) make sure you are upfront about what you did. If that's all you did, it will NOT get you kicked out, not even close.

 

[nosugrefneb]

as for professionalism...i know of tons of complete jacka**es in medical school....being nice isnt a requirement to be a doctor....just a requirement for kissing a** during interviews, rotations etc.....just study hard......i'd say a good portion of docs have a blemish on the record and your thing is very miniscule in comparison. doesnt make u a bad person or a bad future doc...forget about it. there are worse people in med schl with "perfect" records (say someone who'd screw a friend over to get the better grade).
(note: not everyone is like that)

I have to say this is one of the most ridiculous and alarming things I've come across on SDN. As a student at a school that is putting professionalism foremost in the students' collective awareness, I'm really upset by this. Yes, it very well indeed might make both you, woo101 AND marcus_aurelius, "bad future docs" as numerous studies have shown over and over again (not the poor driving, but the pre-clinical-practice displays of untrustworthiness, untruthfulness, and legitimization of unprofessional behavior - even low MCAT scores have been linked to later unprofessional behavior in clinical practice). I'm not saying that you ARE going to be unprofessional physicians, but I'd think again about what you're saying here, marcus_aurelius. The unexpectedly high rate of unprofessionalism in medicine shouldn't lower one's standards of professionalism for the field as a whole. In other words, descriptive habits shouldn't drive prescriptive expectations in this case, but rather the converse should be true.

It's important that we - yes, WE, future doctors - nip this in the bud and try not to propagate the current mindset in medicine that unprofessional behavior is somehow okay.

Ben

 

[thesauce]

I have to say this is one of the most ridiculous and alarming things I've come across on SDN. As a student at a school that is putting professionalism foremost in the students' collective awareness, I'm really upset by this. Yes, it very well indeed might make both you, woo101 AND marcus_aurelius, "bad future docs" as numerous studies have shown over and over again (not the poor driving, but the pre-clinical-practice displays of untrustworthiness, untruthfulness, and legitimization of unprofessional behavior - even low MCAT scores have been linked to later unprofessional behavior in clinical practice). I'm not saying that you ARE going to be unprofessional physicians, but I'd think again about what you're saying here, marcus_aurelius. The unexpectedly high rate of unprofessionalism in medicine shouldn't lower one's standards of professionalism for the field as a whole. In other words, descriptive habits shouldn't drive prescriptive expectations in this case, but rather the converse should be true.

It's important that we - yes, WE, future doctors - nip this in the bud and try not to propagate the current mindset in medicine that unprofessional behavior is somehow okay.

Ben

What behavior do you find alarming? Are you talking about the alcohol possession charge?

 

[swifty100850]

Yes, it very well indeed might make both you, woo101 AND marcus_aurelius, "bad future docs" as numerous studies have shown over and over again (not the poor driving, but the pre-clinical-practice displays of untrustworthiness, untruthfulness, and legitimization of unprofessional behavior

where can i find some of these studies?

 

[marcus_aurelius]

I have to say this is one of the most ridiculous and alarming things I've come across on SDN. As a student at a school that is putting professionalism foremost in the students' collective awareness, I'm really upset by this. Yes, it very well indeed might make both you, woo101 AND marcus_aurelius, "bad future docs" as numerous studies have shown over and over again (not the poor driving, but the pre-clinical-practice displays of untrustworthiness, untruthfulness, and legitimization of unprofessional behavior - even low MCAT scores have been linked to later unprofessional behavior in clinical practice). I'm not saying that you ARE going to be unprofessional physicians, but I'd think again about what you're saying here, marcus_aurelius. The unexpectedly high rate of unprofessionalism in medicine shouldn't lower one's standards of professionalism for the field as a whole. In other words, descriptive habits shouldn't drive prescriptive expectations in this case, but rather the converse should be true.

It's important that we - yes, WE, future doctors - nip this in the bud and try not to propagate the current mindset in medicine that unprofessional behavior is somehow okay.

Ben

Hey Woo,

M.A. again.....i think consulting with an attorney is an excellent idea. Find out what could be done if they found out later and ask for his advise because in the real world an attorney's counsel is what matters. what we say on this forum are only opinions....get the facts from a good lawyer's mouth.

If I were in your shoes i'd contact the attorney. If i was questioned later, i would say that i didnt think it was relevant to my admissions into medical school. you made a mistake. teens make mistakes...its part of the growing process. acknowledge that you made the mistake and that you are sorry for it. you learned from it. these are all experiences that believe it or not, can be carried on to helping patients...ie adolescents with alcohol abuse problems etc. i would even consider telling the school this (if the attorney advises you to tell them) along with an appology for not including the info in the app. My thing is, i dont know if they would buy the "i overlooked that part on my application " bit.


as for Ben, well, i'm sorry i upset you. the world isnt black and white, its grey (someday u'll find this out when u are removed from your prep schl). when u make a mistake, you will learn not to judge others....we are all perfectly imperfect.

JAMA articles dont contain the answers to all of life's dillema's either.

i'm sure this young man will make a great doc if he is sincere and works hard....u know nothing about him or his life....for u to judge him, well its wrong. as for me, well, u're entitled to u're opinion, but i stand firm on my advise. good luck in applying to Radiology! (i hope i never have to work with someone like you)😀

 

[pinkey]

I have to say this is one of the most ridiculous and alarming things I've come across on SDN. As a student at a school that is putting professionalism foremost in the students' collective awareness, I'm really upset by this. Yes, it very well indeed might make both you, woo101 AND marcus_aurelius, "bad future docs" as numerous studies have shown over and over again (not the poor driving, but the pre-clinical-practice displays of untrustworthiness, untruthfulness, and legitimization of unprofessional behavior - even low MCAT scores have been linked to later unprofessional behavior in clinical practice). I'm not saying that you ARE going to be unprofessional physicians, but I'd think again about what you're saying here, marcus_aurelius. The unexpectedly high rate of unprofessionalism in medicine shouldn't lower one's standards of professionalism for the field as a whole. In other words, descriptive habits shouldn't drive prescriptive expectations in this case, but rather the converse should be true.

It's important that we - yes, WE, future doctors - nip this in the bud and try not to propagate the current mindset in medicine that unprofessional behavior is somehow okay.

Ben

Wow, Ben. Get the stick out. Pritzker is a great school, but you seem to be drinking the "professionalism" kool-aide by the bucket. The OP made two mistakes: one happened when he was 19, then other when he clicked submit on the AMCAS. You'll have patients who have made many more than that.

 

[marcus_aurelius]

I have to say this is one of the most ridiculous and alarming things I've come across on SDN. As a student at a school that is putting professionalism foremost in the students' collective awareness, I'm really upset by this. Yes, it very well indeed might make both you, woo101 AND marcus_aurelius, "bad future docs" as numerous studies have shown over and over again (not the poor driving, but the pre-clinical-practice displays of untrustworthiness, untruthfulness, and legitimization of unprofessional behavior - even low MCAT scores have been linked to later unprofessional behavior in clinical practice). I'm not saying that you ARE going to be unprofessional physicians, but I'd think again about what you're saying here, marcus_aurelius. The unexpectedly high rate of unprofessionalism in medicine shouldn't lower one's standards of professionalism for the field as a whole. In other words, descriptive habits shouldn't drive prescriptive expectations in this case, but rather the converse should be true.

It's important that we - yes, WE, future doctors - nip this in the bud and try not to propagate the current mindset in medicine that unprofessional behavior is somehow okay.

Ben

i'm sorry, i cant help myself.....but did u know, u're picture screams needled*** (Waterboy movie)

i bet you got a lot of wedgies in the gym locker-room



dont worry, one day you can prove your manliness as an authoratative DOCTOR....or in your mind...SUPER DOCTOR...graduating from "PRICK"TZKER

P.S. your the guy i'm referring to when i say "worse people than you with "perfect" records".

 

[red dot]

hmm... i've been told by many med students/residents/docs over the years that in medicine, CYA: cover your ass. (of course, ethically, this should only apply to certain situations) with that, i would go with the above posters' advice and get yourself a lawyer to cover all your bases -- so if you find yourself in the position where you must divulge this information your ass will be covered. or if you find yourself in the position where you can't say anything, especially to gunners with trees in their cracks, then you can just consider your attorney's fees to be a part of your med school expenses.

 

[91946]

I have to say this is one of the most ridiculous and alarming things I've come across on SDN. As a student at a school that is putting professionalism foremost in the students' collective awareness, I'm really upset by this. Yes, it very well indeed might make both you, woo101 AND marcus_aurelius, "bad future docs" as numerous studies have shown over and over again (not the poor driving, but the pre-clinical-practice displays of untrustworthiness, untruthfulness, and legitimization of unprofessional behavior - even low MCAT scores have been linked to later unprofessional behavior in clinical practice). I'm not saying that you ARE going to be unprofessional physicians, but I'd think again about what you're saying here, marcus_aurelius. The unexpectedly high rate of unprofessionalism in medicine shouldn't lower one's standards of professionalism for the field as a whole. In other words, descriptive habits shouldn't drive prescriptive expectations in this case, but rather the converse should be true.

It's important that we - yes, WE, future doctors - nip this in the bud and try not to propagate the current mindset in medicine that unprofessional behavior is somehow okay.

Ben

Are you really serious about this? What does mcat have to do with how someone will be a professional in medicine or not.

 

[OwnageMobile]

You would be surprised...

 

[bobob]

Hold up, where did AMCAS ask for anything other than felony convictions? OP, are you talking about a school's secondary, or did I completely miss that on the AMCAS?

 

[nosugrefneb]

Okay, time for some responses.

What behavior do you find alarming? Are you talking about the alcohol possession charge?

No, I'm not talking about this. I'm talking about not coming clean with having done it, and I'm also talking about people then saying it's okay to do exactly that.

where can i find some of these studies?

Do a pubmed search on "professionalism." The literature base is growing pretty rapidly, especially as it concerns making medical students aware of the repercussions that could come about as a result of unprofessional behavior during medical school and later in their career. A lot of schools are now implementing formal professionalism guidelines and/or curricula to stress this.

as for Ben, well, i'm sorry i upset you. the world isnt black and white, its grey (someday u'll find this out when u are removed from your prep schl). when u make a mistake, you will learn not to judge others....we are all perfectly imperfect.

JAMA articles dont contain the answers to all of life's dillema's either.

i'm sure this young man will make a great doc if he is sincere and works hard....u know nothing about him or his life....for u to judge him, well its wrong. as for me, well, u're entitled to u're opinion, but i stand firm on my advise. good luck in applying to Radiology! (i hope i never have to work with someone like you)

I'm not judging anyone. I specifically said I'm not saying you or he WILL be bad doctors, but it certainly alarmed me to read that lying about one's record should be percieved as okay by saying "i know tons of complete jack***es in med school" and "being nice isn't a requirement to be a doctor." To use that rationale, IMO, is ridiculous. What are you even doing this for, then, if there are so many jackasses?

Thanks for the life lesson. I understand none of us are perfect, but it's important to own up to your mistakes and not use others doing it as an excuse. You'll get yourself into trouble doing that. (What does radiology have to do with it?)

The OP made two mistakes: one happened when he was 19, then other when he clicked submit on the AMCAS. You'll have patients who have made many more than that.

I entirely agree with you on all counts, and I certainly have seen plenty of patients that fit that bill. The only difference is that they're not doctors. I have no problem with the OP's first error in judgment, and that's entirely forgiveable, but to not own up to it *statistically* places him at risk for being an unprofessional physician later in life. That's all I'm trying to say.

i'm sorry, i cant help myself.....but did u know, u're picture screams needled*** (Waterboy movie)

i bet you got a lot of wedgies in the gym locker-room

dont worry, one day you can prove your manliness as an authoratative DOCTOR....or in your mind...SUPER DOCTOR...graduating from "PRICK"TZKER

P.S. your the guy i'm referring to when i say "worse people than you with "perfect" records".

Haha, what? Why don't we keep this on topic and not attack one another, eh? (I'm sorry if you already feel attacked...that wasn't my intention, but I just wanted to make people aware of it.)

Are you really serious about this? What does mcat have to do with how someone will be a professional in medicine or not.

Yep, but I'm blanking on the paper it was from though. I'll let you know when I find it.

Gotta run...sorry I can't write more right now.
Ben

 

[FDoRoML]

Uhm, AMCAS only requires you to report any FELONY convictions. And I didn't come across any secondaries this year that asked about misdemeanors, so unless you applied to the most conservative school on the planet, you're probably worrying about nothing.

 

[Paperboy!]

wait we were supposed to put reckless driving tickets down??

 

[JohnyWalker]

"If I spell my whole name backwards, no one will ever recognize me. With disguise tactics such as these, I should drop out of medical school and work for the FBI"

I passed 2 of my 4 finals.
But, so long as I can progress to the next quarter of medical school, this quarter will have taught me a lot about myself. Paramount among the lessons is that I am fallible. Last year, I had no sense of this. I was a renegade medical student. I studied minimally and made up for it with my late-style study habits. Last year, I was smart enough to get by doing this, and I had had enough of the material during my college years to compensate despite myself. This year was different. Too different. So different, yet similar, that I didn't notice it until it was too late, and I screwed myself. I cannot do this anymore, this meaning be all renegade-ish. I can't do that anymore. This stuff is too foreign and too tough for me to get by like that these days. I need to do actual work and have actual investment in this to succeed. No, not just succeed. Excel.


Here is a post of our dear friend Ben that I found by doing a quick google search.


By the way Neb, if you are so concerned about professionalism and becoming a good doctor, then why is it O.K. not to know your material and to know only as much as necessary to move on to the next quarter of medical school. Doesn't sound too professional.

 

[bobob]

"If I spell my whole name backwards, no one will ever recognize me. With disguise tactics such as these, I should drop out of medical school and work for the FBI"

 

[nosugrefneb]

By the way Neb, if you are so concerned about professionalism and becoming a good doctor, then why is it O.K. not to know your material and to know only as much as necessary to move on to the next quarter of medical school. Doesn't sound too professional.

Haha, that's from my blog, right? I tried to keep up with it but unfortunately it's gone dormant for a while.

Listen, I never said that I'm entirely professional; I most certainly am NOT an example for professionalism and I don't think I ever will be. (I drink way too much on certain occasions to keep myself in that running!) ALL I'm saying is that I've been made more aware of the concept of professionalism in recent months at my school and that we all should be more aware on the whole of its trend across all medical schools and the field in general. Does anyone disagree with that?

FYI I did end up retaking my exams and passing the classes. Thank god for P/F, and *thankfully* my study habits have made a dramatic change. I don't think I could have carried on much longer with just cramming!

Well done Johny. You are just too much of a sleuth for me. I guess I'll have to stick with med school. 🙂

 

[Dov]

I would tell them... better to come clean now. I had an alcohol possession as a freshman… my dean later told me it would not hurt me and may even help me; it would demonstrate that I had a life other than studying. The alcohol thing is not a big deal; however, dishonesty is.

I would tell the admissions office that you misunderstood the instructions or even forgot since it was so long ago then procrastinated until now about revealing the information. In the future, be completely honest so you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Marie_]

I wouldn't worry about this so much. I don't think you are covering anything up because you really don't have anything to cover up. Reckless driving is a minor traffic ticket. I got one for falling asleep at the wheel. I didn't even occur to me to put it on my application.

I think alcohol possession is pretty similar. Tell the school if it makes you feel better, or you are going to kill yourself with stress. I doubt they'll care at all. they know that 90% of us were guilty of underage alcohol possesion. The only thing that sets you apart is getting caught. I think they are looking for rape, theft, hit and run, and other crimes of that sort, not the stuff you have.

Did you even have to go to court over one of these offenses? Is so, then I would fess up to CYA, otherwise let it be.

 

[bobob]

I would tell them... better to come clean now. I had an alcohol possession as a freshman… my dean later told me it would not hurt me and may even help me; it would demonstrate that I had a life other than studying. The alcohol thing is not a big deal; however, dishonesty is.

I would tell the admissions office that you misunderstood the instructions or even forgot since it was so long ago then procrastinated until now about revealing the information. In the future, be completely honest so you have nothing to worry about.

I'm not sure I'd recommend just calling/e-mailing the general admin office. Probably isn't information you want to have to give to several random people. Try to figure out the most direct route to speaking with the appropriate individual about your situation. Whatever that may be.

 

[Gut Shot]

I made some stupid mistakes on my med school application as well and did not bother to correct them as I think little things would not matter. everyone forget some not-so-important stuff like this. nobody is going to check your background. no worry. 🙂

This is about the worst advice I have ever seen on these forums. Many schools do background checks, and who knows what they will turn up. Gonna work in a VA hospital? Yeah, they do background checks and fingerprinting. How about getting a license after med school? Background check city. If you think the school is going to be pissed at you now, wait until they've invested a couple of years in you. The coverup could be worse than the crime.

Take ShyRem's advice. The worst possible outcome is for the school to give you the jackboot after 2-3 years. You'll be professionally screwed forever and have piles of debt to worry about. Right now the school likely won't care, as neither offense will hurt your chances of getting a medical license down the road.

 

[midwest77]

i knew someone with a minor in possession also and called his lawyer and explained that his secondary application for medical school asked him to explain any MISDEMEANORS. He asked his lawyer if his MIP was a misdemeanor and if he should include it. The lawyer said no and that if necessary he could write a letter to the med school explaining how it is not. He said he has had to do this for many students. He said he could also look at his record and tell him what showed up if someone looked at it cuz sometimes these things dont even get put on the permanent record. So i think its in your best interest to call up a lawyer and ask him about it. Get documentation of the conversation (if he tells you not to tell them) so if it comes up later you can show the school that you had gotten advice from a lawyer that it wasnt necessary to disclose this info. good luck

 

[Dov]

i knew someone with a minor in possession also and called his lawyer and explained that his secondary application for medical school asked him to explain any MISDEMEANORS. He asked his lawyer if his MIP was a misdemeanor and if he should include it. The lawyer said no and that if necessary he could write a letter to the med school explaining how it is not. He said he has had to do this for many students. He said he could also look at his record and tell him what showed up if someone looked at it cuz sometimes these things dont even get put on the permanent record. So i think its in your best interest to call up a lawyer and ask him about it. Get documentation of the conversation (if he tells you not to tell them) so if it comes up later you can show the school that you had gotten advice from a lawyer that it wasnt necessary to disclose this info. good luck

This is the best advice here. I agree.

 

[beponychick]

I wouldn't worry about. Med Schools don't do background checks on accepted students. This would have come up before now if it was deemed pertinent.

The school that I will be going to does conduct background checks.

 

[marcus_aurelius]

dude, just relax....this forum probably has you freakin out.....fact is, nobody knows anything for sure....everything is speculation.

go contact a lawyer and document your conversation so you can give it to the med schl if needed.

i havent been in this situation, but i highly doubt anyone is going to ruin your professional career for an alcohol violation and bad driving.....this seems a bit out of proportion for me.

stop reading this forum. talk to the lawyer. chillax, u're worrying too much.....it will all be ok...u're not the only one with these violations...not a big deal. see what he says.

actually, now that i think about it, ask the lawyer if you should tell the school. i really dont think they are going to care about the alcohol possesion stuff and just appologize for not bringing it up before. i think this is such a minor issue, that they would be completely fine with it....but talk to lawyer first.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

I entirely agree with you on all counts, and I certainly have seen plenty of patients that fit that bill. The only difference is that they're not doctors. I have no problem with the OP's first error in judgment, and that's entirely forgiveable, but to not own up to it *statistically* places him at risk for being an unprofessional physician later in life. That's all I'm trying to say.

Apparently, the character of the modern physician must transcend all other individuals in society.

 

[woo101]

Uhm, AMCAS only requires you to report any FELONY convictions. And I didn't come across any secondaries this year that asked about misdemeanors, so unless you applied to the most conservative school on the planet, you're probably worrying about nothing.

I applied both MD and DO and i think it was on the DO ap. that they asked for misdemeanors. If im right the MD just asked for sanctions from your prior school and felonies. Is anyone for sure that this is right? because if it is I am worried about nothing. luckly I accepted MD instead of DO. Hopefully i just tripped out about nothing.

thanks for all the responses

 

[Will Ferrell]

I applied both MD and DO and i think it was on the DO ap. that they asked for misdemeanors. If im right the MD just asked for sanctions from your prior school and felonies. Is anyone for sure that this is right? because if it is I am worried about nothing. luckly I accepted MD instead of DO. Hopefully i just tripped out about nothing.

thanks for all the responses

yeah, it's ridiculous to be worrying about something as petty as an alcohol and traffice violation. relax or celebrate your acceptance (but have a designated driver around)!

 

[etown]

I applied both MD and DO and i think it was on the DO ap. that they asked for misdemeanors. If im right the MD just asked for sanctions from your prior school and felonies. Is anyone for sure that this is right? because if it is I am worried about nothing. luckly I accepted MD instead of DO. Hopefully i just tripped out about nothing.

thanks for all the responses

About half, maybe more, of my secondaries asked about misdemeanor and felony convictions (other than minor traffic violations). AMCAS definitely only asked about felonies. So, basically, I'd look up the secondary for the school you're worried about and see if they even asked. If they did, and you neglected to put down your minor transgression, call them up and talk to the appropriate person. I'm fairly certain that if you go ahead and come clean now, it won't matter, and if you don't and they do a background check and have to approach you, it will still probably be okay, but I'd say being upfront is the best approach.

EDIT: I know schools say your acceptance is pending successful completion of courses blah blah...I think for some acceptance can also be pending clearing a routine background check. Basically, they'll probably overlook (maybe even empathize with) your small misdemeanor, but an ethical violation (not disclosing if asked on the secondary) may be a bigger deal. Don't want to scare you, because you have been accepted and many doctors/med students have these errors of judgment in the past that they have overcome and proved aren't defining of their character, so I seriously think you are fine, I would just disclose if the secondary calls for it.

 

[Monette]

I have to say this is one of the most ridiculous and alarming things I've come across on SDN. As a student at a school that is putting professionalism foremost in the students' collective awareness, I'm really upset by this. Yes, it very well indeed might make both you, woo101 AND marcus_aurelius, "bad future docs" as numerous studies have shown over and over again (not the poor driving, but the pre-clinical-practice displays of untrustworthiness, untruthfulness, and legitimization of unprofessional behavior - even low MCAT scores have been linked to later unprofessional behavior in clinical practice). I'm not saying that you ARE going to be unprofessional physicians, but I'd think again about what you're saying here, marcus_aurelius. The unexpectedly high rate of unprofessionalism in medicine shouldn't lower one's standards of professionalism for the field as a whole. In other words, descriptive habits shouldn't drive prescriptive expectations in this case, but rather the converse should be true.

It's important that we - yes, WE, future doctors - nip this in the bud and try not to propagate the current mindset in medicine that unprofessional behavior is somehow okay.

Ben

Hi,

For these studies, what was considered a "low" MCAT score? A total below 30? A section below 9?

Monette

 

[nosugrefneb]

For these studies, what was considered a "low" MCAT score? A total below 30? A section below 9?

I don't think there was a "low MCAT score" cutoff. They just showed that those with lower MCATs were more likely to be reprimanded for unprofessional behavior during their careers than those with higher MCATs. Again, this doesn't make any claim that people with lower MCATs WILL be unprofessional, but rather that in the past they are more likely to have been for whatever reason.

Ben

 

[Gut Shot]

I applied both MD and DO and i think it was on the DO ap. that they asked for misdemeanors. If im right the MD just asked for sanctions from your prior school and felonies. Is anyone for sure that this is right? because if it is I am worried about nothing. luckly I accepted MD instead of DO. Hopefully i just tripped out about nothing.

thanks for all the responses

Thank you for finally providing the information necessary to clear this matter up.

You are fine. Go forth and party.

 

[Tiki]

I don't think there was a "low MCAT score" cutoff. They just showed that those with lower MCATs were more likely to be reprimanded for unprofessional behavior during their careers than those with higher MCATs. Again, this doesn't make any claim that people with lower MCATs WILL be unprofessional, but rather that in the past they are more likely to have been for whatever reason.

Ben

Ben is right about the study, we had to read it at school. It was published in JAMA not so long ago. It pretty much stated that those who had unprofessional behavior while in medical school were more likely to be sanctioned by their state liscensing board later on in their career. There was also a correlation with low MCAT scores, but it was not as great as the unprofessional behavior.

Also, my school requires background checks (they also made us pay for it, lol). If I was the OP, I would tell the school what went down, because I''d be the type to sit and worry about things like that.