Got a DUI, how will this affect med school and careers?

I just got a DUI. It wasn't serious as no one got hurt, and I would of gotten off had I not admitted to everything honestly. Following my principles, I am a very honest person by nature.

In 2 years I am changing jobs and moving once I switch to a university. Does a DUI make it incredibly difficult to get a job in a hospital or health care facility?

Anyways, I am 20 years old and I am attending a community college for transferable classes in liberal arts. In 2 years, I am applying and transferring to a university for a Bachelor's in science. In 4 years from now, I will be attempting to get into medical schools.

I know med schools do background checks, but are they going to look back more than 2-3 years on my record? This has been really bothering me. And please don't say "you should of thought about that before you drank and drove" because I wouldn't of gotten caught if I didn't admit everything. Also, everyone makes mistakes, and I'm sure there are doctors out there with DUIs. It has just really been bothering me since this happened.

So, does anyone know anything about background checks that medical schools do?

My guess is that medical schools wouldn't and couldn't reject every student with a DUI. I did a brief google search on the topic and found too many different answers: "absolutely it will affect getting into med school" to "not much at all." Also you're 20 and two years away, so already that's better than if this happened at 22 years old.

I think there is also a way to clear it from your record, but that may depend on your state? I would do some research on the topic. I'm sorry I can't be of more help with concrete details. I'm glad you were honest, I believe that's the best path. You took responsibility and owned up to it, so good for you. Hope everything goes well for you.

how was it not a "serious" one and why were you driving while intoxicated?

Is this your first DUI?

Depending on the state law you may be able to get it dropped through various programs with an experienced lawyer. It could hurt your credibility for many years otherwise. Even if it costs a lot of money it's worth looking into.

first of all, get out of la-la land and don't minimize a DUI

as far as med school.. honestly.. you could find a Med School to accept you regardless of your past.. but..maybe not one that has a great reputation.

It definitely will affect you--how much is the key question. The answer varies with many factors: your age when it happened, whether you got into any trouble after that, if you learned anything from it, etc. Those are all things you will have to explain in your applications. However, you can easily write it away in the application. It depends on the people on the admissions committee.

Having said that, look into having it expunged from your record.

@ hersmudders

Not that your comment is relevant, but I am a responsible person. This doesn't mean I'm perfect and I am entitled to mistakes just like everyone else. Why did it happen? Probably because I was drinking which impaired my judgment. So please don't judge or call me point blank stupid for making one mistake in my 20 years of being a human being.

@ sidehop

Yes. I have had a clear record up until this happened. I live in Minnesota/North Dakota.

I'm not sure what exactly to look up, but if anyone has had experience with applying to med school with a DUI on their record or knows someone this has happened to and got it removed from their record please let me know.

Edit:

@ livinginsbi

I'm not living in "la-la land" or "minimizing" the DUI. This happened months ago. I was a complete mess for weeks after this happened. It is rather frustrating to have people act like I should live an impaired life that is limited by a stupid decision I made at the age of 20. I'm sure when you were 20, you had made mistakes. I've come to the realization that I can't change what I've done. I can only move on and learn from my lesson. However, the point of this thread is about career/med school and it has been nagging me ever since this happened.

Here in Hawaii getting a DUI can very much effect whether you get into med school. To get into med school here you have to have two prominant people in the community write letters of recomondation for you and they usually wont do that if you have a DUI. Even then the background check would shut you down, they even check your credit history. However, its really hard to get into med school here. You have to have a 3.8 or above, have gone to a upscale university, and do community service.

Search: North Dakota DUI

I think you will need a lawyer

I understand that these things do happen--I have accidentally driven while intoxicated and so have many people that I know. It's awful that it's so common. I still kick myself for being so stupid, but I was new to drinking and had no idea I wasn't ok to drive until I saw where I parked the car in the morning. I am very thankful that I didn't get caught or kill myself, my passenger, and/or anyone else.

Drunk driving should never happen and there's no reason for it to ever happen, but it does and it's incredibly dangerous and regrettable. People die from irresponsibility like this, so at the very least an attitude of extreme regret is what some people would like to see--don't expect people not to express their disapproval on a topic like this, is all I'm saying. (especially when you say it wasn't serious)

It will hurt you if they ask you about it and you say it's nothing serious (yes, that is minimizing the DUI). They'd want to see you've taken some accountability for your actions.

A DUI itself may not automatically disqualify you, but it makes it easier for them to select someone else.

How do you accidentally drunk drive? To me, that's along the lines of saying, "I accidentally cheated" or "I accidentally stole from you".

How do you accidentally drunk drive? To me, that's along the lines of saying, "I accidentally cheated" or "I accidentally stole from you".

Asking me? By not being aware that you're not ok to drive due to impaired judgment from drinking. Like I said, there's no reason it should EVER happen if you're being responsible and preventing it from even becoming an option in the first place

The medical schools will see it and you will have to answer questions about it.

Is it a deal breaker? Not necessarily. Will it ruin your residency chances down the line? Possibly.

try searching link removed

Don't bash the OP.

I think he realizes the seriousness of his issue.

If you want to make sure it doesn't affect you down the road, I would get a lawyer and see how it can be minimized. Usually lawyers that are proficient with DUI cases can find ways/options to minimize the effect of a DUI, esp for a first offense.

To me, a first offense, should not scar you for the rest of your life and you should get a lawyer and leave "no stone unturned".

It sucks to have it affect something that you want to do in the future.

there is alot of factors..what might make this worse is your not even 21 which you should have no alcohol in your system to begin with

have you been to court?

it depends on what degree they they charge you with or what you get convicted of.you should def not take this lightly..this is no joke

how was it not a "serious" one and why were you driving while intoxicated?

@ hersmudders

 

Not that your comment is relevant, but I am a responsible person. This doesn't mean I'm perfect and I am entitled to mistakes just like everyone else. Why did it happen? Probably because I was drinking which impaired my judgment. So please don't judge or call me point blank stupid for making one mistake in my 20 years of being a human being.

 

 

see my post...i didn't say "stupid" anywhere in there.

and i agree with whoever said that they'd want to see you take responsibility for your actions. they'll want to know that if this guy is a doctor, and someone dies on his operating table b/c of a mistake he made, will he own up to it or say it happened for another reason? saying it's not serious is minimizing it, agreed.

@ livinginsbi

I'm not living in "la-la land" or "minimizing" the DUI. This happened months ago. I was a complete mess for weeks after this happened. It is rather frustrating to have people act like I should live an impaired life that is limited by a stupid decision I made at the age of 20. I'm sure when you were 20, you had made mistakes. I've come to the realization that I can't change what I've done. I can only move on and learn from my lesson. However, the point of this thread is about career/med school and it has been nagging me ever since this happened.

dude.. I work in the medical field and am telling you.. it's NOT like it was 25 years ago, when I was in my 20's .. YES.. med schools and hospitals WILL look at your past and this little OOPS WILL effect you... how much.. that depends

I will tell you I know personally of a Med Student who got denied an internship because of stuff that happened back when he thought he should be allowed to make mistakes...it DOES happen

The reality of it is.. schools have a limited number of spots and yes, your actions when you were 20 might detemine whether you get picked for a spot. I've seen med students not get picked for internships because of their myspace or facebook pages..

I'm glad you feel remorse, you should.. but your post sounded like you don't want to take full responsiblity for your the DUI.. would you pick a doctor with that attitude? I wouldn't.

I can't vouch how it can affect med school, but the implications will be broad and could affect other careers, especially if you're involved in government work. A DUI alone may not be much, but combined with something else it could really hurt you. Mistakes are made, but you need to be near-perfect the next few years if you want to go into a career that carries a lot of responsibility.

An example would be if you're trying to get a government clearance of some sort. McDonald's might not care, but try working for the Secret Service, and it's going to have more of an impact. Such career fields rely on solid judgment, and your DUI charge is equivalent to two illegal acts, given your age.

Also, since you're not old enough to drink, what was your BAC? I know with states that have zero-tolerance laws, you can be charged with anything over .02. I could see getting charged with that, but if you were hit with a .08 or higher which is illegal at any age, then that could hurt you more if you're asked about it.

Finally, if ever asked about this, be as straightforward as possible without trying to make any excuses or justifications, such as the drinking impaired your judgment. Your judgment shouldn't be impaired that much after two or three drinks (when you're probably still within the legal limit), at which point you should cut off all drinking if you plan to get behind the wheel within the next several hours. Just as there is no excuse for drinking and driving, there's no excuse for many other illegal acts, such as taking/smoking illicit drugs. If you get caught doing something like that, then you will be done for.

ok i read your initial thread about this topic and i do think you're genuinely sorry, but one, you may be charged with a felony, and two, you're still saying it's nothing serious, even though your car is totaled.

i thnk the best thing to do is still take personal responsibility, plead guilty (since you were by your own admission) and to never drink again, b/c if your judgement is that impaired when you drink, it's best not to drink at all.

The point of me saying it wasn't serious wasn't to minimize it in a reality sense. Usually when I bring this up, people start assuming things that didn't happen which is why I stated it wasn't serious in the sense that "no one got hurt". I am very lucky that no one was hurt in that situation.

And I was being stereotypical of you when I said "calling me point blank stupid". I'm sorry for that, but lately I've been constantly judged. I'm sick of everyone frowning upon me like I'm a piece of trash. I feel remorse, regret, and a multitude of other feelings for what I've done. Let me be my own critic. It took me awhile and a lot of time to bring myself around to accepting what I did. I can't change what I did and I have to live with it (unless i get it expunged?).

Stop assuming I didn't learn my lesson or I am not taking responsibility for what I've done. I still can't even look at the paper work dealing with it because it pulls me in a time warp back to the weeks following the incident where I couldn't live with myself. I work with mentally handicapped people, and have spent the last 10 years of my life helping others. I am not a bad person, I made a mistake. I honestly shouldn't have to defend myself when I'm asking legitimate questions anonymously online. I came here for advice, not to advocate for myself.

I did originally challenge the charge since I knew a DUI would affect me in the long run. I wanted to plea for reckless or careless. They wouldn't take the deal so I am stuck with a DUI. Should I wait a course of 3-4 years and attempt to get it expunged? If I show that I have a bachelors and the capability of being an excellent candidate for med school, will I have a chance at this in a couple of years?

@ hersmudders

Thank you for taking the time to re-read my initial thread on this topic. I posted that when I was literally in a hole in hell, mentally. I did plead guilty because I knew it was the right thing to do. I did not even want to take this to court and fight it, but my entire family thought it was in my best interest to attempt to plea for a lesser charge. Anyways, I plead guilty and only got charged with the DUI. The insurance took care of my car and the other person's vehicle. I don't have to worry about getting a possible felony anymore. They could still charge me, but I don't think they will since they've had the opportunity for awhile.

I did originally challenge the charge since I knew a DUI would affect me in the long run. I wanted to plea for reckless or careless. They wouldn't take the deal so I am stuck with a DUI. Should I wait a course of 3-4 years and attempt to get it expunged? If I show that I have a bachelors and the capability of being an excellent candidate for med school, will I have a chance at this in a couple of years?

If I were you and wanted to go on to prove you've changed, I would start regularly attending AA meetings and taking alcohol awareness classes. It will show that you are taking full responsibility for your actions and that it was indeed a mistake. When they go to review, it will be on the record that you were proactive about changing your lifestyle.

that's what bugged me... your excuse

I agree.. if or when asked.. you say.. yes, I made a mistake early in life, it was stupid and I learned from it.

not some weenie excuse about how no one would have known if you didn't tell them..a big buzz phrase in the medical world.. NO EXCUSES... no one wants to hear them..

if you don't like to be judged.. stay out of medcine..you'll never make it

@ livinginsbi

That excuse was what I was instructed to say at the time. Do you think I initially wanted to lie (actually I was being sketchy not lieing)? I told them the truth at the scene which is what gave them the evidence to charge me in the first place. If I wasn't so honest, I wouldn't be in trouble right now.

im still confused i looked up minnesota and there is different degrees of DUIs...what did they charge you with...felony, mis, did you get ur licenses suspended..misdemeanor and a felony is a HUGE different in alot of careers...