That's the burning question most medical students who get dismissed or expelled from their medical program immediately or soon ask. Most medical students have a passion for medicine. They want so much to practice medicine, for all its healing, intellectual, status, reputation, financial, and other rewards, that they'll put up with extraordinarily difficult studies and residencies, and endless step and board exams, to reap those rewards. They'll also incur substantial debt, delay family pursuits, and pass up artistic, cultural, and recreational opportunities and interests just to reach for the golden ring of medical practice. But then, for some students, misconduct charges, exam failures, or unsatisfactory academic progress warnings appear, clouding their dream. And for some, those warnings soon lead to probation, suspension, and dismissal. Then the burning question arises: can I still be a doctor?

Options Exist

A dismissed or expelled medical student has three basic options to earn a medical degree. The first option is to successfully challenge the dismissal. The second option is to wait to gain readmission to the medical school that dismissed the student. The third option is new admission to a different medical school. As you'll see from the following points, the first option is usually far and away the best option.

Prospects for Overturning the Dismissal

Dismissed medical students typically have administrative appeal procedures within the medical school or through the school's university institution. Having professional help as early as possible in the dismissal process is always best, but if you have suffered dismissal, you should immediately retain a skilled and experienced academic administrative attorney-advisor to challenge and overturn the dismissal with an appeal. If you have already exhausted and lost all formal appeals, retain national medical student defense attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento to pursue your reinstatement through oversight channels like general counsel offices or ombuds offices. Let attorney-advisor Joseph Lento show your school that reinstatement can be in everyone's best interest, including both your interest and the school's interest.

Prospects for Readmission

If your medical school has dismissed you, especially early in the program and for academic reasons, then you may qualify for readmission under your school's policy. See, for example, Howard University College of Medicine's policy for Readmission to the Medical School. Readmission policies differ from school to school. They often require some delay, such as at least one term off, before readmission. And readmission policies may grant school officials considerable discretion to determine whether the dismissed student's circumstances warrant readmission. Retain academic administrative attorney-advisor Joseph Lento to help you evaluate and qualify for readmission if no avenues exist for overturning your dismissal.

Prospects for New Enrollment

Dismissed or expelled medical students may also have options to apply for and gain admission to other medical schools. Generally, this option is the least attractive. Dismissal at one school generally disqualifies candidates from admission to other desirable schools. You may have to accept admission to an international medical school or other school where instruction and instructional support may be uneven, placing you at greater than ever risk. But reasonable options exist. Don't give up your dream until you have explored all options thoughtfully and pursued sound options aggressively.

National medical student defense attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm has helped hundreds of students nationwide preserve their education by challenging dismissal in the first instance and, in many other cases reversing dismissal after it has occurred. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now to retain Attorney-Advisor Lento and his expert team.