Medical Will a prior criminal offense hurt admissions chances if I wasn't convicted?

[Goro]

Hello all, I had a question about my previous criminal history, as I have just interviewed at a school and feel very good about a possible acceptance. So back in 2014 I was charged with "simple possession of marijuana" and received a summons to go to court, I was not handcuffed or fingerprinted. My court case was ruled as "nolle prosequi" which means "not prosecuted" or "dismissed", and this ruling happened without completion of any first-offender programs, honestly I was very lucky. I feel that the officer saw that I was someone with good character who wanted to help others through medicine, and wanted to give me a second chance. Anyway, I have had no encounters with law enforcement since this incident and have "kept my nose clean" so to speak. So I am posting here today to ask two questions:

1. I am sure this will most likely show on a background check if I am accepted to this school, however I did not disclose this in the secondary because it did not ask about prior criminal non-convictions, and only about prior criminal misdemeanor or felony convictions. I answered no, which is truthful given the wording of the question. My question is do you guys think that my possible acceptance would get rescinded for something like this? I would hate to have my dreams crushed by something that I wasn't convicted of..

2. Does anyone have any information on how this might affect board certification if I am indeed accepted and have no issues regarding this? I have read many posts on here about doctors with DUI convictions still being able to become board certified, so I'm hoping that this would not impact that process. However, I am still worried as this is my future and is everything I want to accomplish. Thank you for any help that you all can offer!

They wouldn't be interviewing you if they felt that you wouldn't be able to get licensed.

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[lord999]

Thank you for the response, I figured as much. The only issue comes with the fact that the background check isn't ran on a student until they are accepted. Do you think they would revoke an offer of admissions if this was discovered on the background check? From the various posts I've seen on here, many students with prior history similar to this have had to speak with the dean of their respective college. Wondering if anyone could shed some light on that from their expert experience?

Well, you weren't convicted. No offense, it might be for less benign reasons (cost to prosecute, etc.) or the likelihood that the case clearance rate would be reversed (if you happen to be in a state that was considering marijuana and your case vacated, that would be a knock on both the officer or the prosecutor for a prosecuting a reversible trifle). Usually, for something minor, the court or police has the authority to "request" that the prosecution enter this in if they feel that it is not worth their time or consideration as well (especially if you were not under the influence at the time of arrest). Any of these or your reasons, what matters for then was that you were not convicted.

What matters now and in the future is that you are not either in possession or under the influence, period, until marijuana leaves Schedule I status. You might end up having to disclose prior drug use (not just conviction) depending on your licensing state, so be truthful there. You are being truthful in answering the question as a negative, though you know that there is more to it.

Now DUI's are a different matter. If you have a DUI conviction, expect to interview with the local Board for licensure upon application (not certification). Licenses are generally granted as long as it was before professional training and no other incidents have applied since that time and that the DUI did not have permanent consequences (vehicular assault or homicide), but depending on the circumstances, could add additional conditions such as monitoring (you get random DT's) or counseling. If you get a DUI or possession during professional training, you just put your ability to license in severe jeopardy, and who knows what happens. Medical schools of both MD and DO are selective enough not to admit a known alcoholic most of the time.