Will I be able to go on my rotations with a misdemeanor?

[pastudent1988]

I am currently in my final year of classes and will go on my clinical rotations in May. I had a mental illness and severe anxiety and depression which led me to steal as a coping mechanism. I was caught and will have a misdeamor of theft on my criminal backround check that my school will run on me before I can start my rotations. I am currently in therapy and plan to make a full recovery to not let this happen again. I am afraid I will not be able to go on my clinical rotations with this now on my background which will also prevent me from graduating the PA program. Does anyone have any expierence or advice for me? I am currently in the pretrial part and may get a diversion but will not know until Feb. which would drop the charges but still be on my record.

[benny32311]

Did you let your school know all of this during your applications? You need to tell them ASAP and let them figure out what's going to happen.

[primadonna22274]

Huge red flag. Doesn't your school do background checks prior to clinical rotations? No way you will get into any VA facility or other state/federal facility with this on your record which will likely limit your training options severely (as well as make you a huge headache for your clinical coordinator).

You need to meet with your clinical coordinator and probably program director ASAP to discuss this.

I'm not even going to get into the nightmare of licensing and credentialing later, assuming you complete rotations and graduate....

[just_me]

This person is in pre-trial and diversion now....seems like this happened while IN school.....OP am I correct?

[pastudent1988]

Yes, this just occured so I was already accepted and finished one year of my classes. I still will not know until Feb. If I will be charged or if I will get the diversion. I am going to try and set up my own rotations to avoid the school having to do the background check on me. I am just going to have to meet with people at hospitals that are accepting PA students. Do you think every hospital will really turn me down and I will not be able to graduate? My psychologist said that as far as credentially/licensing I will most likely meet with a board and have to show them how I have been rehabiliatated and how motivated I am to be a PA. I am looking for clinicals in Chicago so, hopefully I can find at least one hospital to do all my rotations at.

[primadonna22274]

Clearly you lack understanding of how clinicals work. Your clinical coordinator must approve each rotation site by ARC-PA standards and send paperwork from your school eg. malpractice cover sheet, grading standards etc.

If you really think you can sidestep your clin Ed dept you are either a troll or woefully ignorant of PA education standards. Or possibly both.

[A1CAMERON]

I would say that those actions would likely be against some school policy with respect to ethics, integrity, etc.

 

If I were a faculty member, I would expect integrity in the students which includes self-disclosure of events such as arrest or other law breaking acts. However, there may be a gray area when it comes to misdemeanors and felonies in state and school laws/policies.

 

The bottom line, though, is that type of behavior is not what a healthcare provider should display and I believe your school should be informed. If you are not able to bring yourself to disclosing this incident then I would arm-chair quarterback a guess and say you lack the integrity to represent the PA profession or any other health care profession.

[pastudent1988]

I am definitely going to talk to my program director and let him know of my incident once I know for sure what will be on my record. Just difficult because the case still could be a diversion which would leave me with nothing on my record. I am going to change my past behaviors and am undergoing intensive 3 day a week therapy. While setting up my own rotations out of state from my school. I am going to talk to each hospital and explain my charge to see if they will accept me. I am we'll aware that my clinical coordinator at my school will still be involved! It would just allow me to do the work the clinical coordinator would have to do knowing my charge. I may get shut down by 10 hospitals before one will even take me for a clinical but I am fully dedicated to becoming a pa and one with integrity. I had serious events in my life that led me to steal as a coping mechanism which I am learning how to deal with in therapy. Sorry if you misunderstood me for someone trying to cheat the system.

[sartort]

I am definitely going to talk to my program director and let him know of my incident once I know for sure what will be on my record. Just difficult because the case still could be a diversion which would leave me with nothing on my record. I am going to change my past behaviors and am undergoing intensive 3 day a week therapy. While setting up my own rotations out of state from my school. I am going to talk to each hospital and explain my charge to see if they will accept me. I am we'll aware that my clinical coordinator at my school will still be involved! It would just allow me to do the work the clinical coordinator would have to do knowing my charge. I may get shut down by 10 hospitals before one will even take me for a clinical but I am fully dedicated to becoming a pa and one with integrity. I had serious events in my life that led me to steal as a coping mechanism which I am learning how to deal with in therapy. Sorry if you misunderstood me for someone trying to cheat the system.

 

Do not wait to tell your program director of the incident. If they find out about it some other way it will look really bad. It will also look bad if you wait months to tell them, and they may wonder if you were planning to keep it a secret except it turned out you couldn't. While you wait you are keeping a secret from people who need to know, which many people consider dishonest and a much bigger red flag than the theft itself. They also might have ways to help alleviate the situation or help you that you won't know about if you don't involve them. The earlier you inform them, the better. You messed up, so be an adult and do the right thing ASAP, which is likely first thing in the morning.

 

Also, it would be a lot better to find out now if you can't finish the program, wouldn't it? Might as well know and save money if that ends up being the case.

[rev ronin]

PA Forum Observation N+1 (With apologies to Arthur C. Clarke): Any poster sufficiently clueless is indistinguishable from a troll.

[Super Duper]

I'm just old guy who worked in another field before giving this PA thing a try, but I would tell the program director right now, whether or not it would be on on record. Hell, I would go in first thing in the morning and lay it all on the line; the arrest, depression, therapy, everything. First because it shows integrity and secondly because they might be able to help you. Finally, as sartort said earlier, if there is nothing they can do for you, at least you can save yourself some time and energy that you can focus on your other problems.

 

As painful as the reality may be, hiding this can only make things worse. Trust me, I've seen young soldiers try to evade all sorts of problems that eventually ruin their career when, if they had came to me early, I could have helped them out at least a little bit.

 

Good luck

[Just Steve]

If the school is aware of the situation PRIOR to any court findings, it may leave them options such as letting you take a year off to get yourself screwed back together. If the school only comes "into the know" AFTER court proceedings then the school options may be much more limited.

 

If you hide the situation even with a diversion, your ethics are up for scrutiny.

 

Didactic year was stressful...but clinic year comes with its own set of intense stressors. Seeing how your treatment has just begun, it is untested. You are positive that it will be successful but reading your emphatic statements sounded just like my patients who divert narcotics. They want to be better but there always seems to be a reason for their failure. Until you are faced with a few triggers and successfully resist the urge to regress in your behavior, you will be considered high risk. Hospitals and clinics are not routinely in the business of taking adverse risk with providers within their system, including students.

 

Arrests, regardless of convictions, are a matter of public record in Oregon. I don't know the laws of your state but I know a lot of people LOVE reading the court records to see if they know anyone going through. One busy body sinks your ship.

[bgdog]

I had a mental illness and severe anxiety and depression which led me to steal as a coping mechanism.

 

Really? A coping mechanism?

 

Is this the first time you stole something or do you have Kleptomania?

[LESH]

I am currently in my final year of classes and will go on my clinical rotations in May. I had a mental illness and severe anxiety and depression which led me to steal as a coping mechanism. I was caught and will have a misdeamor of theft on my criminal backround check that my school will run on me before I can start my rotations. I am currently in therapy and plan to make a full recovery to not let this happen again. I am afraid I will not be able to go on my clinical rotations with this now on my background which will also prevent me from graduating the PA program. Does anyone have any expierence or advice for me? I am currently in the pretrial part and may get a diversion but will not know until Feb. which would drop the charges but still be on my record.

 

Please notify the program about your situation. There are several ways this can be discovered and usually Clinical Coordinators do not like to be surprised. Hope this helps. Good luck.

[just_me]

I can only echo what has already been said. Programs tend to be understanding.....I think they are also concerned about their retention rate...either way, based on my experience and posts I have read, most programs will do what they can to keep you going but it is far more difficult to do when its brought up last minute. the moment you were arrested you should have told them.

 

PS You definitely need to find a new coping mechanism....try therapy, knitting, working out, something.....hell if you have to break into your own apartment and steal from yourself, that's better than stealing from everyone else. You really put yourself, your education and career on the line for an unworthy trinket (unless you stole a Rolls Royce, its an unworthy trinket). If you are able to continue and graduate, I suggest you get therapy (actually, no matter what happens you should) because next time your loss could be far more substantial.