PAstudent148 Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 A year ago in 2021 I made some careless mistakes and got 2 DUIs back to back in a period of 3 months. I have been fighting the cases and just recently lost. I'm now scared of how this will affect my dreams of one day being a PA or even at least being a researcher in the science field at the very least. I've done my research and heard similar stories to mine and how some people still made it into the medical field even as surgeons after a dui or two so I have hope for it. A little more about me is I'm 20 years old and got the arrests when I was 19, this august I have been accepted to a good university and will be going in for my first year as an undergrad which means I will have a lot of time (at least 8 years) to prove myself and show how these dui situations don't define me and that I have so much more to offer. I've already done a bunch of internships and still plan to do many and have a GPA of 3.8. so I guess my question is, if I were to keep a clean record, continue to get stellar grades, and do a bunch of volunteering and internships until I get to medical school, do i still have a good chance (or even just a chance) of being able to pursue to be a PA? and if anyone knows how a dui would cause a student problems with taking part in research please let me know cause there seems to be nothing online that talks about dui and pursuing research. Also, if anyone knows how it would go for even university and if they can potentially decline me even after accepting me because that definitely scares me the most since that would mean i don't even get a chance to prove my worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 Sorry to hear about your problem. I've never been in that situation but a friend who had a remote, minor drug arrest still graduate and become a PA with a DEA license. I think an important thing to do is to own your mistakes and stop calling (at least the second DUI) a "careless mistake." Contrition is part of it but so might be doing something for society to help prevent others from similar situations. I rode with EMS for 34 years and saw how DUIs sometimes turn out. Your life is not ruined but your old approach to it clearly needs some adjustment. Best wishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moose1 Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 It's not going to permanently close the door, but it will for the immediate future. You will need to take some time (7-10 years minimum) to show that you have learned from your mistakes, dealt with your alcohol problem and gained the maturity needed to be a competent provider or research professional. These programs are competitive, you need to be able to demonstrate the value you bring to the program to set you apart from other people who have similar credentials but no DUI on their record. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAstudent148 Posted April 4, 2022 Author Share Posted April 4, 2022 8 hours ago, UGoLong said: Sorry to hear about your problem. I've never been in that situation but a friend who had a remote, minor drug arrest still graduate and become a PA with a DEA license. I think an important thing to do is to own your mistakes and stop calling (at least the second DUI) a "careless mistake." Contrition is part of it but so might be doing something for society to help prevent others from similar situations. I rode with EMS for 34 years and saw how DUIs sometimes turn out. Your life is not ruined but your old approach to it clearly needs some adjustment. Best wishes. thank you for the response. I don't mean to divert from the severity of the situation by calling it a careless mistake what I mean by that is I was just young and had gone through a lot that year (losing a best friend in a car crash, having an abortion, moving states and being back with a toxic parent). I say careless because I just didn't take the right way to deal with all the things and feelings and had lost myself completely in grief and mixed with the wrong crowd and had been in the company of people with alcohol issues and fell into that trap. after the Duis I had finally gotten myself into intake and then moved into a better situation and got the right help (therapy) and was able to find the things that matter to me. I've never even had alcohol issues and I've gone already a year and half without even a want to be around alcohol and honestly I don't want it to be in any parts of my life after seeing how much it can change a person. I was also raised in a Muslim family and we don't drink and I've been getting back in touch with religion again so the not drinking is a rule I do plan to follow for the rest of my life. I've always been the type to be in books and not so much parties. that's why the fear comes, that I don't want to lose the chance of studying and pursuing a field that I have passion for its not the title or money I chase, rather the studies of medical. And I have no means of explaining the things I did above to play the victim card I just say it to let you know that I do know the severities of the situation and definitely will always own up to it since after all will always no matter how far I get in life ill always live with the dui situation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted April 5, 2022 Share Posted April 5, 2022 Thanks for giving some more detail. It sounds like a lot was going on. Hopefully you'll grow from it. Just set your course and see what happens; life can be surprising. Your life isn't ruined, especially if you're committed to not making the same mistakes. That's pretty much how we all learn. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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