studying medicine with a history of drug abuse (uk)

[12300342]

is it possible to study medicine (uk) having received treatment for benzodiazepine addiction

 

[Jerry Atrick]

The first thing you need to find out is if the medical school requires a criminal background check or a personal medical history. I would check out the admissions page on the school's website. If it's not there then you may have to call or email the school's admissions department.

You also want to look forward and consider what jobs you can or cannot obtain with this type of history. If you are going to med school to be a psychiatrist, for instance, you may not be able to get a job practicing psychiatry because they prescribe benzos and may not want you with that type of access.

If the medical school needs these sorts of records, then you may not be able to get in. If they do not require these records in the admissions process, then DO NOT volunteer that information and you might have a better chance at getting in.

 

[Foreigner]

I have never heard of a med school in modern countries asking for access to your medical files in order to apply. Having good grades plus no criminal record is usually sufficient credibility.

I would completely avoid volunteering any information about your history of addiction if I was you.

 

[MrPorter]

I was looking into applying for medicine and just for interest looked into accepting with drug problems and criminality and stuff. If they don't know about it, that's that. If you have a criminal record for something serious drug related, no chance. If you have criminal record for something minor, you'll be incredibly lucky if you get in but it's not impossible especially if it was 4-5 years ago. The person I was speaking to at Imperial Uni said they had let someone in knowing about previous addictions but showed they were completely out of that stage and they mentioned random drugs tests.

Basically, exceptional grades, insane amounts of work experience and not letting them know you have ever used drugs is ideal. Of course be wary about it coming up again when applying for jobs but medicine is normally a 5+ year course

 

[LeahM]

In Australia, I imagine similar to UK, they are very strict about the co-mingling of drug use and medical practice. My advice? Don't say anything. Lie if necessary! I base this on two stories. Two of my friends are doctors. Both were reported for drug use. Both were capable doctors. I suspect family in one case. After hearings at the Health Care Complaints Commission, both were allowed to continue working but were put under "conditions" - scheduled (more than weekly) + random urine and blood tests to monitor total abstinence (paid out of their personal pockets); all their patient care to be supervised by a senior doctor; ongoing counselling and NA meetings; and they were banned from prescribing any "drugs of addiction" - so no benzos, opioids etc (any cases had to be referred to their supervisor or a colleague). HCCC cases and conditions are up on a public website for anyone to see. One friend managed to get his conditions lifted after 8 - count them EIGHT - years of constant hoop jumping. The other friend showed a couple of dirty urines (out of hundreds) and was struck off. He can reapply after a certain number of years, if he keeps jumping the hoops and recording clean urines in the meantime. This is all supposedly in the name of protecting the patient. If they get even a sniff of previous drug use, they may insist on urine testing and put in on your record. Seriously: don't say anything!!! It is none of their business. There are very few careers that will accept even past use. Medicine is not one of them. It such a conservative field.