Medical One time hard drug use, can I still be a doctor?

[SDN]

Becoming a doctor has been the driving force for me, motivating me to work hard. My freshmen year, I received an IA for using a drug (not alcohol or weed). To put into context how stupid I am: I have never smoked weed and have only ever drunk one beer in a day. There was no police report, it was not put on my transcript, but it is in my student conduct record. I have literally never done anything else. I am willing to try/do WHATEVER it takes to become a doctor ... should stop wasting time and just give up? I am willing to go to a foreign medical school like the Caribbean.

Making mistakes is part of being human.

Medical schools understand that students learn from their mistakes. Schools are looking for patterns of misconduct and are less concerned about a one-time mistake. One time marijuana, psilocybin, LSD or cocaine is probably not going to be a deal-breaker. If we're talking about accusation of ongoing use, that would be concerning.

You'll need to apply broadly. Without knowing all the details, I don't expect that this will force you into a offshore school.

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[SDN]

Do you think I should take a few gap years before I apply? I could become a paramedic during my gap, or perhaps even do PA school and work as a PA for two years (for a total of 4 years) and then apply, but it seems like if I work on both a plan A and plan B, I will get neither done.

Why do you want to delay before applying to medical school? The longer you're gapped, the more likely life events will detour you into something else.

Becoming a paramedic or a PA is a pretty serious investment of time and money. Being a PA is a great way to go if you're able to get into a school.

FWIW - I wouldn't recommend going the PA route and then going MD. Once you've gone PA it doesn't make much sense either time-wise or financially to go back and become an MD. PAs have extremely rewarding careers, make good money, and can specialize into certain fields.