Can you become a doctor with a criminal record UK? (2023)

Can you be a doctor with criminal record UK?

Listed offences

If you received a conviction or caution for a listed offence it will not be protected. Listed offences include serious violent or sexual offences and other offences, which are relevant to the role of a future registered doctor. They also include equivalent offences for those committed outside of the UK.

Successful applicants are required to undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service records check at the beginning of the course, which will identify spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings. Not all convictions will result in being barred from the profession.

Depending on the role, employers may be required to check whether you have a criminal record. These roles will be subject to a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (known as a DBS check).

Since 2006, the police retain details of all recordable offences until you reach 100 years of age. Your conviction will always show on your police records but the conviction may not show on your criminal record check that is used for employment vetting purposes.

1.3 The College does not wish to debar individuals with criminal records and Fixed Penalty Notices from taking advantage of the opportunities provided by Higher Education. In general, a criminal record is not to be regarded as an obstacle to studying at Imperial.

California doctors risk having their medical license suspended or revoked if they get convicted of certain criminal offenses. Convictions that may trigger disciplinary action include either misdemeanor or felony convictions that are “substantially related” to the qualifications and duties of a physician.

If the person was 18 years of age or older at the time of the offense (i.e. legally considered to be an adult), then the conviction will be expunged from their record 11 years after the conviction date (not the offense date).

You may have a conviction if you have pleaded guilty to or been found guilty of a crime. A criminal record has information about your contact with the police. Employers, insurance companies and visa applications for going abroad sometimes ask about previous convictions.

Simply having a criminal record does not prevent you from getting a job. In a limited number of cases, certain convictions may prevent you from working in certain roles, but, you are likely to already know about this if it applies to you.

Can I be a nurse with a criminal record UK?

Can I still apply for a nursing or midwifery course? Yes. Having a criminal record does not mean that you cannot study or work in the nursing profession. Most nursing and midwifery courses will require a placement in a relevant setting.

Gaining Employment

Having any kind of offence or conviction on your record is bound to affect your chances of landing a job, especially those that require higher levels of responsibility and trust.

There should be a 10 year interval between the date of conviction and the expungement application and you have had no other convictions and jailed without the option of a fine during the 10 year interval.

A DBS check has no official expiry date. Any information included will be accurate at the time the check was carried out. It's up to you to decide when a new check is needed. If the applicant has signed up for the DBS update service you can check whether their certificate is up to date online.

You can apply to have your criminal record expunged when: a period of 10 years has passed after the date of the conviction for that offence. you have not been convicted and sentenced to a period of imprisonment without the option of a fine during those 10 years. the sentence was corporal punishment.

They will see the arrests, but it won't make a difference to your applications, you don't have to disclose anything. Usually, they ask 'Do you have any criminal convictions, spent or unspent'. Your answer would be no because a caution or an arrest (or criminal discharge) is not a conviction because you weren't charged.

How often do doctors need a DBS Check? The NHS insists that doctors in training must undergo a DBS Check at least once every three years as a minimum requirement. This is to check if their circumstances have changed at all during this time.

Not all pharmacists and technicians need a criminal record bureau (CRB) check before starting employment, PSNC says. In fact, the only pharmacy professionals the NHS requires to undergo checks are those who provide services outside the pharmacy premises, such as conducting MURs at the patient's home.

The PNC does not include every single conviction. The police currently store details of all recordable offences (indictable, triable-either-way and some summary offences) and they keep this data until you reach 100 years old.

Being refused a job

There is no legal concept of 'discrimination on the basis of having a criminal record', as there is for discrimination on the grounds of age or disability. Your treatment, therefore, will only create a legal claim if it would do so for someone without a criminal record.

Can you work for Royal Mail with a criminal record?

On application, the Royal Mail Group will require your consent to carry out a basic criminal record check as part of the recruitment process. There is also a list of 'unspent' criminal offences that are considered unacceptable in new employees.

The majority of medical professionals do feel that becoming a doctor is worth it. In a recent survey of UK junior doctors, 67% answered that they did think that working in medicine was worth it, despite the significant downsides to being a physician in the NHS.

The short answer to this question is yes. Medical school is worth it. Financially, going to medical school and becoming a doctor can be profitable, especially if you're able to save and invest a considerable amount of your income before retirement.

The easiest and cheapest way to find out your criminal record is to apply for a copy of your police records from the Police. You're entitled to exercise your rights to obtain information that is held about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. This process is known as a Subject Access Request.