Medical Made a mistake, how should I hand it?

[TheBoneDoctah]

Hello, I recently ran into a disciplinary issue at my school and I am very worried and would like some advice. About a month ago I was potentially exposed to COVID while watching a soccer game at a friend's house. I was placed on quarantine but I decided to get some groceries at an outdoor farmers market. I wore a mask and only got a few things and immediately left, I did not screw around nor stop to eat or drink. My dean has found out and I will be going in front of a bunch of deans and they will make a decision. I have been told that I could have several punishments, including a professionalism mark on my dean's letter, a forced LOA, or expulsion.

I did break quarantine, but I thought going to get groceries this way would be the safest. I understand that I introduced great risk to all the patrons at the market and I am very sorry for it. I have not lied about any of my activities and this was the only time I left my house. I am very nervous about the outcome of the trial and I was hoping I could get some other perspectives. I have a clean record and I have never had any issues with the school.

I fully plan on admitting that I was wrong to break quartine for whatever reason. I agree that I introduced risk to the community that didn't need to be there. Is it worth pointing out that this is the only thing I did? I wasn't flaunting quarantine by going to bars, grocery stores, etc. I just went to an outdoor market for 10 mins fully masked with an n95.

Part 2:
If I do get punished, is a mark on my dean's letter the most likely? Will I be able to recover from a mark like this by behaving myself for the rest of medical school and getting good marks in my clerkships?

1. That was irresponsible especially for someone wanting to go into medicine. There are ways in today's age to get groceries/food without going out into public.

That aside, I am not sure if (and would hope) they wouldn't put a mark on your record for this. What year are you? We always kinda give the same response when it comes to getting into trouble with your school, law, etc. The more time in between the "issue" and applying, the better.

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[Goro]

I am a first-year student. Would something like this on my dean's letter get me instantly screened out of many residencies? I am hoping to go into the meeting with apologies and own my mistake while mentioning that I was still trying to be responsible(being outside and n95, and also not doing/going anywhere else). I was also thinking about volunteering with the local contract tracing. I was thinking that if I volunteer every Saturday until the pandemic is over that it'll at least show that I regret my decision and I am trying to better the community that I harmed(just the city in general I guess). I am hoping that this being my first issue with the school will get me off without a permanent mark.

Are you a medical student?

If so, I think that my school would cut you far less slack that an applicant.

Not only do you need to be apologetic and own this, you also need to present a plan to them as to how you won't let this happen again.

And do NOT screw again! We have a low tolerance for students who think that the rules don't apply to them.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Oh, I thought you were applying to medical school...ouch.

Whatever the outcome of your hearing, nothing you can do now except for work your a** off and do not do anything to get red flags on your residency app.

 

[Goro]

I am a first-year medical student. As far as a plan to not let this happen again, would the volunteering cover it from a base of I will 100% know not to do it again because I will be advising people not to? I have never gotten in trouble and I consider myself to be a rule follower. I had a significant lapse in judgement and I fully intend on never doing something so stupid and reckless again.

No, I would be expecting something along the lines of "if I need to get food, I'll use grubhub or my local grocery's online deliveries or have my friends do my shopping for me".

A promise of "I won't do it again" is required, but not sufficient. What you need to show is that you are thinking ahead.

 

[Goro]

Ok, I was planning on saying something similar to that. If 100% own up to it, show that I won't make the mistake again, and show that I want to help the community that I hurt(for example by contact tracing for 100+ hours), do you believe the council will be lenient and not put something on my permanent record?

Still not good enough.

I want to know what you basically going to do if you're under house arrest but you need something from the outside.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I was planning on saying this

I made a very bad mistake by going out in public while under quarantine. I thought that going to an outdoor venue with a mask on would be sufficient, but I am aware that any risk that I create to the community is inexcusable. I should not have done what I did and I am aware of how poorly this reflects on me as a medical student. I prioritized my own wants over the safety of the community that I one day hope to serve. It was a momentary lapse in judgement and one I intend on never making again. If I ever am confronted with a similar situation, I know that there many options like instacart or having a friend deliver me things. It is to easy in this day and age to get things delivered to your home, and It was not smart of me to leave to get something. I did not mean any harm, but my intentions did not line up with my actions. I have always made safe decisions up to this point, and I plan on never making such a rash decision ever again.

Where is this little paragraph going to be sent/used for?

I wouldn't say "I thought that going to an outdoor venue was a mask on would be sufficient"

 

[GoSpursGo]

I had a significant lapse in judgement which I understand could have put people in the community at risk, and while this is a stressful time for everyone which I believe contributed to my poor decision, that is no excuse. In retrospect, I wish I would have used any number of options available to me to get food, including an online delivery service or having a friend pick up groceries for me. I am very sorry, and while I cannot undo this mistake, I have learned what I will do in the future should I find myself in a similar situation.

Short and to the point. No need to go into details. Say you made a mistake, you understand there's no excuse, and what you learned from it. The more you say, the more it sounds like you're trying to make excuses.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I know it's hard for the first-year med students to cope with current learning circumstances, but you need to do better. It is irresponsible and you put others at risk by doing what you did breaking quarantine. Now I am hopeful that you have tested negative even throughout this situation, but you need to understand that as a medical student, you are a professional until you are booted out. The privileges of the professional oath you have taken should be clear you cannot be that irresponsible. Don't do something that stupid again or you will have some serious issues with your dean's letter.