Heroin can a former addict become a practicing physician (MD)????

[painkillerskillers]

the title basically says it all.
starting med school in the fall.
made a mistake, but am unsure if i have the ability to get support and go to rehab since i'm not sure addicts/people with a substance abuse problem are allowed to obtain a medical license.
want this chapter of life to be over, and want to go to medical school and get back on track, be doing what supposed to be doing and taking care of people in need, give back to society.
if one went 'on record' as having a substance abuse problem does it ruin their ability to obtain a medical license? and out of curiosity does it affect people's ability to work any other jobs? like as a policeman, or in research into substance abuse and addiction in science?
anyone know??????

 

[fatstep]

I wouldnt go on record. Seek treatment privately, you should know about doctor-patient confidentiality, the rehab facility cant tell anyone they treated you. It could definitely negatively influence your future career

 

[jspun]

No it doesn't necessarily ruin your ability to get a medical liscense. HIPAA and even more stringent confedentiality laws prevent treatment centers from releasing info about treatment attempts, this is assuming you are in the US or its territories. If you have gotten into legal trouble- arrested for possession, intoxication then it is a different story. don't know about medical students, but doc's, RN's, and pharmacists have their own diversion program. But diversion is a BITCH. RN's have hoops they have to jump through called DEKs or something like this. Other disciplines have their own equivalent methods of torture/ aggrevation. They own your ass for about 5 years- if you are seeing patients at your office, they will wait and then escort you to the bathroom and watch you piss. RN's get a call and have 24 hrs to pee. Have to attend a group once a week plus a certain amount of 12 step meetings and go through a approved rehab program first. After rehab, you come back with a restricted liscense and are only able to prescribe non narcotics (or administer non narcotics if you are an RN) for a period of time until they descide you are safe. Can't go on vacation without prior approval for those 5 years. What is your situation? Health care field needs more recovering addicts to be able to empathasize with addicts and humanize addiction (addicts are usually treated like shit universally in the health care system- lots of self ritcheous assholes.)

What is your situation?

 

[painkillerskillers]

i have a bachelor's degree and have been working in research (actually in high level security labs working with very dangerous diseases, full hazmat gear required while working, showering out, etc....)where if they knew i was on any illicit substances I would be a restricted individual and not allowed to even enter the building. so right now it would ruin my current career.
i decided that i no longer want to be in research, and want to work with people, especially in rural and inner-city areas and i agree with you on the health care field needing to change their views on addiction. I AM quite interested in drug addiction and changing society's views on addiction. as i am a perfect example of ANYONE can become an addict. society still thinks of heroin addicts as dirty street junkies, and i'm interested in working in areas that have the most trouble getting good physicians which are also the areas with the highest drug addiction prevalence.
I am not currently in the healthcare industry, but that is what I want to do, and like you said, I think with former addiction experience I can help people more instead of being this self righteous doctor who thinks that you're a piece of shit because you're an addict.
I am just not sure how far the doctor-patient confidentiality extends. Does this go on my medical record if I tell my doctor? If so can the FBI access it (thus I would lose my current position), and can I become a doctor in the future?
I am planning to quit, and I just want to put myself in the best situation to not return to use. I can't be a very good doctor (especially in the areas i want to work, where I will probably be the only physician for miles) and need to be able to prescribe any medication as needed. I have only been using heavily for 4 months, and know that I can quit for good. I will have 4 years of school, 3 years of residency, so i'll have been clean at least 7 years before becoming a practicing physician.
I just really need to know if I need to quit on my own to save my career plan or if I can arrange to go to rehab and/or do outpatient with my doctor/a psychiatrist and not have to worry about losing my job and not being able to become a doctor and help people. I can do this by myself if the alternative is going to rehab and not being able to help other people in the future. I know I have a lot to give, and this is giving me the drive to cut this shit out of my life completely. But if I choose the rehab/doctor/psychiatrist help route and am no longer able to become a physician and help people as I know my life purpose is, I don't think I'd even want to quit anymore. I finally know what my life purpose is, and now I'm in a position that if I get help properly to be able to continue striving towards my life purpose, I may lose my ability to become a doctor.
Does that make sense? help?

 

[Jabberwocky]

this isn't the right forum for this discussion - we're harm reduction orientated. sorry, have to close this.

maybe try googling