Jay Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 There is a question on the CASPA asking about "License Infraction". It states: "Have you ever had any certification, registration, license or clinical privileges revoked, suspended or in any way restricted by an institution, state or locality?" I was convicted of a DUI in New Jersey in 2015. "NJ Dui Statute is NJS 39:4-50 and title 39 is all traffic offenses. A New Jersey DUI is not considered to be either a misdemeanor or a felony; it is a motor vehicle offense" Due to this motor vehicle offense charge, I do not have to say 'YES' for the Felony and Misdemeanor question. However, since my license was suspended for 3 months, I would have to say yes for the license infraction question. I would have to: If you answered "Yes" to the previous question, you must provide an explanation. Include 1) a brief description of the incident and/or arrest, 2) specific charge made, 3) related dates, 4) consequence, and 5) a reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life. What would be the best way to answer this question? If there is no other choice and I have to disclose my DUI experience, I will. However, if there is a way to gear the event towards a traffic violation, I would like that better. Any ideas? Please do not lecture me about how I messed up my life. I am asking for guidance on the best possible action to take. I have paid for my action and will continue to pay for my actions-- I do not need other people telling me how much of a mistake I made. Please and thank you in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbum Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 There is a question on the CASPA asking about "License Infraction". It states: "Have you ever had any certification, registration, license or clinical privileges revoked, suspended or in any way restricted by an institution, state or locality?" I was convicted of a DUI in New Jersey in 2015. "NJ Dui Statute is NJS 39:4-50 and title 39 is all traffic offenses. A New Jersey DUI is not considered to be either a misdemeanor or a felony; it is a motor vehicle offense" Due to this motor vehicle offense charge, I do not have to say 'YES' for the Felony and Misdemeanor question. However, since my license was suspended for 3 months, I would have to say yes for the license infraction question. I would have to: If you answered "Yes" to the previous question, you must provide an explanation. Include 1) a brief description of the incident and/or arrest, 2) specific charge made, 3) related dates, 4) consequence, and 5) a reflection on the incident and how the incident has impacted your life. What would be the best way to answer this question? If there is no other choice and I have to disclose my DUI experience, I will. However, if there is a way to gear the event towards a traffic violation, I would like that better. Any ideas? Please do not lecture me about how I messed up my life. I am asking for guidance on the best possible action to take. I have paid for my action and will continue to pay for my actions-- I do not need other people telling me how much of a mistake I made. Please and thank you in advance. I think this question referring to a professional license (like a nursing license, paramedic license, etc) not a driver's license. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanime Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 I read that question as being geared toward healthcare licensure... So, in that context, I would say no. However, I could be wrong, so hopefully some more people with greater wisdom than I can weigh in. I suspect PA schools aren't overly concerned with your drivers license, but would be very interested to know if your license to practice medicine has been revoked. Your DUI will definitely be important to include, weather or not it was a misdemeanor/felony, but I don't think this is where that would go. Just be up front and transparent throughout your application and you should be fine. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 I think this question referring to a professional license (like a nursing license, paramedic license, etc) not a driver's license. This. You shouldn't attempt to hide the DUI, though, just because that's not what this particular question is asking. Just because NJ considers it a motor vehicle offense vs a felony/misdemeanor does not mean it is on the same level as a 'traffic violation'. It's not a parking ticket or a failure to stop. It's best to be upfront about this. It would be much worse to be accepted or start clinical year and find out that the DUI is prohibitive to your education or career. It's more about being honest and having integrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick87 Posted July 4, 2016 Share Posted July 4, 2016 I never got a DUI, but I had my drivers license suspended when I was 21 for speeding too much and too often. I never put that on an application and never interpreted that question in the way you are interpreting it. Personally, if a DUI is not considered a criminal conviction in your state, I would not disclose it unless specifically asked. If I was an admin and I discovered that you didn't disclose this information, I wouldn't interpret your actions as trying to hide anything (since I never asked about it). But that's just me.... DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer and this should not constitute as legal advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cop to pa Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Sooo, the section of CASPA where this is asked does not specify as to only professional licenses. A driver's license is a license and it was suspended by NJ, which is a state. So, you mark yes and answer the questions. How you answer, much like your personal statement, is up to you and will reflect on your character. *Edit: The questions you refer to are, I believe, for the criminal history question. You would only answer the ones about license suspension. I doubt you're the only DUI from jersey to go through CASPA. Just explain and move on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegro Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 In general, the best way to look at that entire section is if the offense will show up on a background check (which most schools have as a condition for matriculation) you want it to show up for the first time on your application and not the check. I'm not a lawyer so I don't know how it would work from a legal standpoint, but I do know of multiple cases in which the applicant left the offense off the application because the state the infraction occurred in did not consider it a misdemeanor of felony, but the state the background check was run in by the program DID, so the offenses registered as misdemeanors and/or felonies on the background check when the applicants were under the assumption they were in the clear. That caused programs to retract their admissions offers on the basis that the applicants failed to report the offenses up front and charged the applicants with Code of Conduct violations. It may be worth researching how a DUI license suspension is considered in the state(s) in which you plan to apply before deciding what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fflores98 Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 I am from NJ and had a DUI with my license suspended prior to applying. It happened when I was in the service and came back from a year long deployment in Iraq. I made no excuses and disclosed anything that would potentially unravel later on in the application process. Did it cost me a few interviews? Probably. Was I interviewed and accepted? Yes. That being said during the interview this was the first question asked to me and how I moved on from there. I made sure I took accountability for my actions and let them know that I moved forward and matured. Upon acceptance I had to undergo a background check which came back clear. The only way a school will find out if you have had a DUI in New Jersey is by running your Motor Vehicle Record (MVR), which I don't know how many schools do. I probably could've gotten away with not listing it and received more interviews but personally, my integrity is worth more than that. EDIT: I am not a legal professional capable of providing any legal advice. Just sharing my personal experience. EDIT 2: This also happened several years prior to applying to any PA programs. Yours happened recently in 2015 so take that into consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.Chase Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 For future reference I contacted CASPA in regards to this question as the wording was very ambiguous and they stated this is for professional licenses. I had a dismissed case for driving with a suspended license (failure to pay prior speeding ticket), and I wanted to be as transparent as possible in answering this. I would address this in personal statement to cover your ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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