Are PhD studies in molecular science possible following revoked RN license due to drug use (fired, but no criminal charges) I have a former nursing student who &quot;gave up&quot; his RN license due to drug use (not being sober).  He has been sober for 20 months, but can't get his license for another 2 years of proven sobriety.
This young man is an actual genius, was accepted to medical school and invited to apply by several medical schools due to his 98 percentile MCAT...when he told them about his RN license, medical school admission was retracted.
He could get his PhD in Molecular Science (human metabolic studies), but he believes he would not be accepted anywhere due to his past big mistake due to background checks and he is honest (transparent about his mistake).
I have no domain-specific expertise here, so take this answer with a grain of salt. But broadly speaking, having been fired from one’s job at some point in your life is not an obstacle to getting into a STEM graduate program in the US (and I’m sure most countries). I’m not aware that it’s even required to report such things in your application anywhere. And I’m not aware that PhD programs do background checks on their applicants. No program that I am familiar with does.
So yes, a job in health care involving care of patients may be more problematic, but at least a science PhD seems well within the realm of possibility.