Misdemeanor

[soon2b]

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Anyone think having a misdemeanor charge for using a fake ID to get alcohol when I was 19 will effect getting into a residency? Do you think it will lessen the number of interview invites I'll get? Unfortunately ERAS asks about it and I don't want to lie but I am not thrilled about having to include something like that.

 

[steelydoc]

doubt it...by the time you apply for residencies, the charge will have been like 6 years prior...if you're record is clean since, i can't see how they'd hold it against you. but what do i know, im a scrub (aka premed student)

 

[gutonc]

Anyone think having a misdemeanor charge for using a fake ID to get alcohol when I was 19 will effect getting into a residency? Do you think it will lessen the number of interview invites I'll get? Unfortunately ERAS asks about it and I don't want to lie but I am not thrilled about having to include something like that.

The primary way that this will affect you is if you lie and answer no. Here's how the worst case scenario plays out in that situation....

You apply, interview and match at a program. The program sends you their new resident materials and part of it (either for licensing or institutional policy) will include a criminal background check. And if you're at a place affiliated with a VA...an FBI background check. So now your old misdemeanor comes up on the background check, your PD finds out and voids your contract because you lied on your application (one of the few grounds for voiding a Match agreement) and reports you to NRMP. They see you lied and so they ban you from the Match for X years (2-5 but it's kind of a moot point). So now you've been labeled a match violator, you've lost your spot and you're out of a job for the next few years, after which time it will be highly unlikely to find a program willing to touch you with a 10 foot pole.

So, do what you were planning to do and tell the truth up front. Then explain what happened. Nobody is going to care about this kind of thing 5-7 years after it happened as long as you've kept your nose clean in the interim. But they will care if you lie about it.

 

[HondoCrouch]

Technically a crime of moral turpitude, state boards will care. Were you convicted/deferred adjudication? Will have no effect on med school/residency but a state board may make you sweat a little, particularly some place like Texas.

 

[soon2b]

Technically a crime of moral turpitude, state boards will care. Were you convicted/deferred adjudication? Will have no effect on med school/residency but a state board may make you sweat a little, particularly some place like Texas.

To be honest, I just remember being told by the officer it was a midemeanor. I went to court, got a talking to by the judge, paid a fine and never looked back. I'm in the process of getting the actual records from the court. Also, this happened almost 8 years ago and like I said I was 19.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Doesn't ERAS only ask about felonies?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

So I thought.

Then I downloaded the MyERAS worksheet for this year. Here are the questions:

Has your medical license ever been suspended/revoked/voluntarily terminated?
Have you ever been named in a malpractice case?
Is there anything in your past history that would limit your ability to be licensed or to receive hospital privileges?
Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor?
Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
Are you able to carry out the responsibilities of a resident or fellow in the specialties and at the specific training programs to which you are applying, including the functional requirements, cognitive requirements, interpersonal and communication requirements, and attendance requirements with or without reasonable accommodations?

Wow! This will certainly be an interesting application cycle. This assumes that I'll actually see the answers to these questions.

 

[JaggerPlate]

So I thought.

Then I downloaded the MyERAS worksheet for this year. Here are the questions:

Has your medical license ever been suspended/revoked/voluntarily terminated?
Have you ever been named in a malpractice case?
Is there anything in your past history that would limit your ability to be licensed or to receive hospital privileges?
Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor?
Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
Are you able to carry out the responsibilities of a resident or fellow in the specialties and at the specific training programs to which you are applying, including the functional requirements, cognitive requirements, interpersonal and communication requirements, and attendance requirements with or without reasonable accommodations?

Wow! This will certainly be an interesting application cycle. This assumes that I'll actually see the answers to these questions.

Interesting. The OP should probably indicate whether or not he was convicted of the misdemeanor or charged and then had something else happen. I know a lot of times in these situations, alcohol related misdemeanors end up being dismissed or downgraded via those "alcohol education" programs, and if the OP was charged but then went through one of these, he could answer "no" to the convicted question.

However, it will come up in a background check, so he should mention it somewhere. Does ERAS have one of those "is there anything else you'd like to mention" sections??

 

[Osteoimperfecta]

I think they only ask for felonies.

Application - Page 8 - Licensure

Information
Has your medical license ever been suspended/revoked/voluntarily terminated?*
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Yes
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NoReason (up to 510 characters): __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Have you ever been named in a malpractice case?*
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Yes
ο
NoReason (up to 510 characters): __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Is there anything in your past history that would limit your ability to be licensed or to receive hospital privileges?*
ο
Yes
ο
NoReason (up to 510 characters): __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Have you ever been convicted of a felony?*
ο
Yes
ο
NoReason (up to 510 characters): __________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Are you Board Certified?*
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Yes
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NoBoard Name: ________________________________________________________________________________



Maybe the questions have changed in the last year though. I am not sure.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Googled it a while ago ... for the 2012 ERAS, they now ask for felony and misdemeanor convictions.

 

[dragonfly99]

Don't lie about it.
I seriously don't think that most residency programs will care about this, unless they think you are a drinker/alcoholic. This could have happened to a lot of us. I went into a casino with a fake ID when I was 18 or 19...

I also don't think any state would withhold a license for this, although it may delay getting the license for a few weeks. I can't imaging that even Texas or California would care about this. If the license thing worries you a ton, you could try to match into one of the states where you get an automatic training license just by matching into a particular residency program.

 

[HondoCrouch]

I also don't think any state would withhold a license for this, although it may delay getting the license for a few weeks. I can't imaging that even Texas or California would care about this. If the license thing worries you a ton, you could try to match into one of the states where you get an automatic training license just by matching into a particular residency program.

Dont know about California but Texas would care. It's not about the drinking its about the fake ID, ie dishonesty, which will fall under moral turpitude and will automatically be kicked up to the director for review. They wont withhold your license but you will have to jump through hoops.

 

[Mattchiavelli]

Honestly, I know someone who got a DUI in her MS1 year and she matched to rads at a pretty good program. Fess up to it. If someone doesn't want to interview you because of something minor that happened years ago, consider yourself lucky for not having to deal with a very anal residency program.

 

[radiologyguy]

.

 

[danzman]

you still have to report it. trust me, i had the exact same thing happen, inattentive driving. I contacted eras directly. Any misdemenor, even driving, have to be reported. the issue is, if you dont report it, after you match they can get dump you for an ERAS and NRMP match violation. even though my background check pulled up nothing, if you go to a program that works with the VA, they do a more thorough FBI background check which gets everything. report it.

FYI you can do an FBI background check on yourself for 18 bucks.

 

[soon2b]

I'm going to report it. I definitely don't want to be dishonest. I've talked to a bunch of people who all say they don't think it's a big deal. I even talked with my school's career adviser who said the same thing. My main worry (probably irrational) was that some residencies would exclude me for an interview because of it. Other than that though I feel I have a strong application with good grades, board scores and letters of rec. So I am probably getting to worried by it. Thanks for all your comments.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I depends on whether you were charged, or convicted. If you pleaded guilty / nolo contendre / were found guilty, then you need to disclose. If the charges were dropped, then no.

Note that some programs may ask you if you were ever CHARGED with a misdemeanor -- then you would need to answer yes.