A criminal record may just follow you for the rest of your life. One facet of your life that it may permanently affect is your ability to obtain employment. More specifically, if you wish to earn a medical license, you may be wondering whether your past criminal activity will get in the way of this. Read on to discover whether you can obtain a medical license with a criminal record and how one of the seasoned New York health care professional defense lawyers at Walker Medical Law can help you navigate this situation.
Will I be able to earn a medical license with a criminal record?
Notably, the fact that you have previously been convicted of a crime does not automatically disqualify you from getting a medical license of any type, whether it be a physician license, a nursing license, or otherwise. Instead, it depends heavily on when you committed the crime and what the crime was. For example, if your crime happened when you were still a minor, this will likely be viewed differently than if your crime happened a few years ago. In addition, if you were charged with driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, this will likely be viewed differently than if you were charged with manslaughter.
With that being said, other important factors that will play into this include, but are not limited to, the following:
- The number of offenses you committed.
- The rehabilitation you participated in after your conviction, whether it was court-ordered or otherwise.
- The other circumstances surrounding your conviction.
How will the New York Medical Board determine my eligibility?
When you do apply for a medical license, there will be no doubt that a moral fitness hearing will be conducted by the New York Medical Board. And so, your ability to obtain a license will not only depend on when you committed the crime, what the crime was, etc., but also on how you present yourself at this hearing.
First of all, it may just make matters worse if you try to avoid the moral fitness hearing. So, you must not hide your criminal record from your initial medical license application. Instead, you should be honest about whether you were found not guilty, pleaded no contest, have an ongoing case, or otherwise.
This is, undoubtedly, an unideal situation. But you should not do anything to make matters worse. In other words, it is in your best interest to have the Board learn about your criminal record from you upfront instead of having them discover it later on in the application process. This may be the factor that jeopardizes your opportunity.
For more information on how to go about this, contact a competent New York health care professional defense lawyer today.
