Medical Will being caught embezzling funds from a student organization make it impossible for me to go to medical school?

[Goro]

I was caught using a student organization's funds for personal use. I am repaying the money but was referred to the Office of Student Conduct. There's a chance it might be expunged after one year, but it is not guaranteed.

Other than this, I have good grades, MCAT score, and extracurriculars. Do I still have a chance at medical school?

I can't sugar coat this, your medical career is over. If not that, it's in deep stasis.

You are facing two hurdles:
1) Adcoms will ask "is this the type of person we want to have in our class?"
2) You are competing against people who haven't committed such transgressions.

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[lord999]

Unfortunately, this is actually going to come up when you license as well even if you make it in medical school, as this sort of problem (embezzlement) is considered in the "moral turpitude" range. It is highly unlikely that you are going to get a license granted without major conditions set on it as you would be required to report it during your application (and yes, boards will revoke licenses filed with perjured statements even years later).

 

[Goro]

Once the record is expunged, the university legally cannot disclose the information without my permission. While disclosing the truth would obviously be the correct thing to do morally and ethically - how would it ever come up if chosen not to disclose it?

My Adcom has rejected people who didn't disclose stuff they're supposed to disclose. We found out about the stuff inadvertently by other means.

Do you really want to have this hanging over your head for your career? A school could rescind your acceptance or expell you after matriculation if this came to light.

During the app process, if this came to light that you lied on the app form, you would also then be banned from AACOMAS and AMCAS.

 

[Goro]

My clinical colleagues and I take professionalism very seriously. Indeed, it is one of the competencies required of medical students, residents and clinicians.

There is published data to show that dishonest doctors start out as dishonest students

 

[lord999]

Until you change and become both more introspective and empathetic (as well as reflective based on what you have wrote), you are definitely unqualified intellectually irrespective of your statistics. And the inability to understand that you're going to be applying and studying with a group and under people that is at least the equal if not superior intellectually and in competition is going to be a wakeup call someday.

But I suppose with your ethical compass that you will gamble on ensuring that you get the record expunged, enact your hypothetical plan because it seems rational for a dream, and succeed because most adcoms will probably not do the due diligence necessary (although I do not recommend applying for the civil service who will definitely do that due diligence even with expunged records). That may be so, and who are we but electrons in cyberspace? I will warn you that it may be this incident, it may be something else, but given your lack of reflection, you'll take care of yourself if you do not change, and from what you wrote, I suspect that you certainly have the same character that you did when you embezzled those funds.

We have given respectful answers. I am going say for my colleagues that I'm sure this thought had crossed our mind: for someone who is trying to make things right after an extremely serious error in judgment, what sort of character would even suggest hiding the matter as a calculation given the realities of professional ethics)? I do urge you to read that story anyway, it may help change your pathway (at least with the bottom line of trying to avoid certain outcomes or obviously bad plans). But if you cannot put yourself in our shoes about that response, then I would argue that you have not met us with the same level of intellectual or emotional respect given your response on the hypothetical plan.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Integrity matters. Without it, you cannot establish trust among professional peers and with your patients. As a financial officer, you should have had training from your student organizations/government folks about proper financial reporting and accounting because you are handling student activity fees from your peer students (and perhaps other outside money from benefactors). You didn't just pocket a hundred dollars and misappropriately spent it on personal funds; you did this with a significant amount of money -- in my opinion and obviously enough to really harm a student organization you were elected to serve as a leader. What cause/organization did you allegedly misspend the money, and which groups benefitting from that event or appropriation were affected?

No I don't think your life is necessarily over, but redemption may not come for an application to the 2021 class but much later down the road. You want to enter a profession of public trust, and while doctors don't remain saints forever, they don't want to admit anyone who already has a demonstrated problem with integrity, especially if years down the road it was shown that the person was admitted and the admissions committee/school knew full well of the problem when deciding to admit.

You are fortunate that you have options, and I would urge you to take a deep dive and do well with the opportunity you have been given. We need great people advocating for solid health policy and standards. Be thankful it is not being litigated.