Jourdan Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Hello, I am a 27 year old Firefighter / Paramedic and part time Transport Paramedic that occassionally has a vented patient with multiple drips and is on a vent, but for the most part its a granny transport. I am looking to start the Marathon towards getting my PA, but I am curious how my criminal record will affect me prior to applying? I have a Class A Misdemeanor in 2006 for Theft ( I pumped gas into my vehicle and drove off ) and I have a Class B Misdemeanor for a wreckless driving in 2011 ( argued down from a DUI ). All terms of probation have been met, all restitution paid and I have since corrected my ways. Will these affect me from becoming a Physician Assistant? Jourdan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 There are several threads floating around on this topic so you may want to do a search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToppDog Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Corrected your ways since 2011? May not be enough time. All schools will do a background check, but they may have different criteria, so it may be possible for some things to be overlooked. The theft thing will be a big one regardless of how old, & the other one will be looked at closely because of how recent it is. All you can do is ask the schools you plan on applying to if these would prevent you from going to school, & then check to see if any of this would stop you from becoming a PA after you're done with school, because the two can be different. It would suck to make it all the way through school only to find out you can't work as a PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjl12 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Post this in the "Ask a PA Admissions Director" thread. The AdCom will hopefully have more direct guidance/answer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted November 3, 2012 Administrator Share Posted November 3, 2012 I sure hope they do! You're a twice-convicted criminal by your own admission. My only questions are 1) why you're not fired from the fire service, and 2) why you still have a paramedic license. In a world where there are 20+ applicants for every PA school seat, why would anyone choose you? I must admit, I don't need to pay a lot of attention to the distribution "Have you ever..." vs. "In the past X years..." questions, but I do know that in the private sector, our horizon was 7 years for general misdemeanors, 10 years for job-relevant crimes and/or felonies. If that standard applies to you, you wouldn't be applying until 2018. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotaskimmer Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Check out this thread, same topic: http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/showthread.php/37174-Please-Help Also see my response there, as I've been accepted to a school for Jan 2013 and I also have had 2 run-ins with the law. If you don't have time to read that, I'll just say this: Everything else about your application will have to be stellar, or else you probably shouldn't waste your time. Even if it is, you'll get rejected from some schools without an interview, just because of your record. Also, don't listen to the above poster. Obviously someone who hasn't made mistakes (good for them), so they don't think it's worth it for a PA program to trust that someone has changed. People can change, and I'm glad we live in a world where if you show that you've made corrections, you can be treated like everyone else. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contrarian Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 The Theft calls your underlying character into question... so may be a problem. The DUI/Reckless driving means little since folks from ALL walks of life (Docs, Lawyers, Cops, Judges, Senators, Teachers, Preachers, etc.) get those... regardless of whether they are actually under the influence of drugs (illicit/prescription), Alcohol, Sleepiness, temporary stupidity or not... so will fade with time. I have one patient who was convicted of DUI because she inadvertantly admitted to the state patrol that she was tired after working 16hrs in the hospital... when she was pulled over for swerving. She was convicted and treated as if she had drank a 5th of Jack Daniels and then drove a car. ~$8,000 later, she is doing ok. I have another patient who has been charged (these still show up on your background check) with DUI and REFUSAL to test 5 times in 15 yrs. Why... because years ago... he was shot... and it caused a diaphram (phrenic nerve) injury. When asked to blow... he can't produce a steady flow because his diaphram flutters. A steady flow is REQUIRED for the roadside AND police station breathanalyzer to produce a reading. So... since they always get a negative reading... they assume that he is "playing games" and faking. So they simply charge him with DUI and Test refusal. He then has to pay a attorney and go to trial. He has never been convicted of DUI. But has spent LOTS of money on attorneys and pulmonologists and neurologists and Pulmonary Functions testing and Nerve Conductions studies. While he has never been convicted of any of the DUIs... they ALL appear on any criminal background check he has to submit to. This is a problem because he does a lot of government/international contract security work that requires security clearances. So the DUI/Reckless driving means little to those who know how easy it is to be charged with that and how it is often used for "income generation" in certain areas. As for posting your question on the "Ask a PA admissions director" thread... Pffft. Every program is diferent from day to day and yr to year. The person on that thread can really only tell you what they may do in their one particular program and really honestly can't speak of the other 160 programs out there. Time will clear te driving issues... the theft illuminates character flaws that may be really hard to dispell... Just a few thoughts based upon my personal experience... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpackelly Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 One of the problems is that California will automatically investigate, more likely than not grant your license, and then automatically put you on probation for two years for your prior DUI. they’ve been doing that for a few years now. Florida will invite you for a personal interview and make sure you have had an evaluation from the health professionals diversion folks prior to granting you a license, and you will have to have some monitoring. Michigan will generally grant you an unconditional license as will NY if the time period is over five years. These are the four states that I have been PA faculty in, and believe me, it comes up a lot. People have these things from before PA school, and then later on during school. DUIs “happen”. If one is a student at the time, they are generally referred or "strongly urged" to self report to the state health professionals recovery network. One of the more interesting cases I have seen in the past 30 years as faculty was a PA student for a serious 2 year misdemeanor charge involving dishonesty/fraud. He involuntarily left the PA program, rehabilitated, enrolled later on in medical school after getting his record expunged (which one can do after five years), and is now a physician specialist in one of the most coveted fields. So it can be done. Key: money and very good attorneys never hurt. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jourdan Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Thank you for all your input, I appreciate it and it definitely gave me a lot to think about. By no means am I looking for the easy way out, I am all about finding joy and pride in your work, loving what you do essentially. But after seeing this and weighing the uphill battle I would be fighting, I feel that giving my charges some more time and getting my RN may put myself in a better position to apply in the future, as well as throwing some more $ towards my lawyer. Thanks for your help Guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glutenxxnerd Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 (edited) On 11/3/2012 at 1:36 PM, sotaskimmer said: Wow could not have said it better myself. Don’t get me started on the ignorance of some people (and good for them). I was once perfect as well and am thankful that i am humbled and understand that people make decisions and we can grow and never go back to it ever again. There are so many paths to PA. Their requirements make you get it allll in. It’s a lot of commitment, sacrifice, and finding balance to PA. Now that, is a true show of character. I Check out this thread, same topic: http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/showthread.php/37174-Please-Help Also see my response there, as I've been accepted to a school for Jan 2013 and I also have had 2 run-ins with the law. If you don't have time to read that, I'll just say this: Everything else about your application will have to be stellar, or else you probably shouldn't waste your time. Even if it is, you'll get rejected from some schools without an interview, just because of your record. Also, don't listen to the above poster. Obviously someone who hasn't made mistakes (good for them), so they don't think it's worth it for a PA program to trust that someone has changed. People can change, and I'm glad we live in a world where if you show that you've made corrections, you can be treated like everyone else. Edited February 2, 2021 by Glutenxxnerd I submitted too soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.