Will a DUI arrest show on the medical school background check if I wasn't convicted?

[deleted826813]

So last summer I went to a bar with some friends and had a beer. Being 21 and knowing the legal limit to be .08 I decided to drive home knowing I was well below the limit and was pulled over for missing a turn signal. Cop said I smelled like alcohol so he breathalized me and I blew a .04. The cop then had me to a field test and claimed I failed so I was arrested and charged with a DUI (misdeamnor) but because I hired a lawyer the charge was dropped to a traffic violation (the NYS charge is called, according to my lawyer, "Driving while ability impaired by alcohol") He said it is not a criminal offense. He also said it wouldn't show up on a criminal background check.

My question is whether or not the background check done my medical schools will see that I was arrested, charged with a DUI, or both. Moreover, will it disbar me from medical school if they do find out. I understand some schools ask specifically if you've ever been arrested. To these schools I plan to explain the situation as I have here and speak to what I learned from the experiance. As for schools that don't ask if about arrests, and simply convictions, will they see that I was arrested?

Thank you for you're help I can't stop thinking about this and its driving me insane

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[bananafish94]

If they ask in the secondary if you've ever been arrested, you will have to say yes to it. If they ask if you've been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, that would depend on how that conviction is classified. If your lawyer said it's not a criminal penalty, you're likely fine. As long as you're honest, it's certainly not the sort of thing that would get your acceptance taken away. For the schools that ask about arrests, it will probably make it a hair more difficult to get in in the first place. But it's not something I would dwell on too much.

And regardless of what the law says, please don't drive after having any amount of alcohol!

 

[Goro]

I believe the answer is yes. When in doubt, do a background check on yourself.

Lying or not disclosing something on your app that was asked for will kill your medical career; an arrest for DUI will not (except at LUCOM or Loma Linda).

 

[FindingNismo]

It depends. The AAMC primary app, and the majority of secondaries that I've seen, ask for information about convictions or charges that you plead to, not about arrests or charges themselves. If what you plead to is a misdemeanor in NY law, it will probably show up. If it's a violation in NY, it probably won't. To my knowledge arrests do not show up on the majority of background checks, unless you are applying for security clearances. But then again, I'm not a NY attorney so I don't really know for sure.

I suggest taking a deep breath, ordering a background check (try LexisNexis), and giving your lawyer a call again. Depending on your financial situation, peace of mind might be worth their consultation fee.

 

[LeweezeB]

So last summer I went to a bar with some friends and had a beer. Being 21 and knowing the legal limit to be .08 I decided to drive home knowing I was well below the limit and was pulled over for missing a turn signal. Cop said I smelled like alcohol so he breathalized me and I blew a .04. The cop then had me to a field test and claimed I failed so I was arrested and charged with a DUI (misdeamnor) but because I hired a lawyer the charge was dropped to a traffic violation (the NYS charge is called, according to my lawyer, "Driving while ability impaired by alcohol") He said it is not a criminal offense. He also said it wouldn't show up on a criminal background check.

My question is whether or not the background check done my medical schools will see that I was arrested, charged with a DUI, or both. Moreover, will it disbar me from medical school if they do find out. I understand some schools ask specifically if you've ever been arrested. To these schools I plan to explain the situation as I have here and speak to what I learned from the experiance. As for schools that don't ask if about arrests, and simply convictions, will they see that I was arrested?

Thank you for you're help I can't stop thinking about this and its driving me insane

Yes. I know this for a fact after paying for my own certiphi background check. it says "charged" and then says "dismissed".

 

[FindingNismo]

Yes. I know this for a fact after paying for my own certiphi background check. it says "charged" and then says "dismissed".

It may differ by state