Medical Question about eligibility

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TMP-SMX

TMP-SMX

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Hello,
I am hoping to go to med school and pursue psychiatry. However, when I was 18, I was arrested with a small amount of marijuana (half a joint) while at a gentlemen’s club during a police raid. I regret this choice very much. The arrest was a quick book and release and only counted as a citation, similar to a speeding ticket. So there is no misdemeanor or felony on my record. However, after a simple google search of my full name, a few articles will pop up on the first page of google which are titled something like “18 arrested in ___ county cocaine and marijuana drug bust”, which paints the situation in a very bad light. Reporters pretty much ran with the story and normally a citation would not be such a problem. Other people included in the article were arrested for distribution of cocaine, which I was not involved with, and I do not know the other people who were included in the article. So basically, the articles make it look a lot more severe than it was. Because I know that reputation matters a lot in medicine, I am worried about my chances of getting into medical school, getting accepted into residency, and even about my chances in becoming a doctor. I am wondering if there is still a chance for me, such as maybe I could change my last name and leave it all behind. I am wondering if I could still become a psychiatrist if my name is pretty much cursed on google. I have 1 citation from this on my official record and no other charges. Thanks so much.
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Any way you can contact the news agency to remove your name? Either way this will come up with any license/DEA application.
 
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Mr.Smile12 said:
It's a hard situation but if you were not charged, I don't think it would come up on a background check. You can be honest about the situation but I think many people understand that news reports can be wrong.
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He was charged with a civil infraction is my guess. This certainly does end up on background checks. It's like a minor in possession in Michigan.
 
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