An Iowa woman who obtained a fraudulent nursing degree through a Florida diploma mill worked for one of Iowa’s largest nursing home companies for four years, according to the Iowa Board of Nursing. The board voted to revoke the woman’s license.
The woman first submitted an application for licensure as a registered nurse (RN) in early 2019. According to the application, she had received her nursing associate degree in 2017 from a Florida nursing school. Her transcript said she attended the school from February 2017 through December 2017. She passed the National Council Licensure Examination in March 2019, and one month later the Iowa Board of Nursing granted her a license.
On January 25, 2023, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and their law enforcement partners launched a multi-state coordinated law enforcement action to apprehend individuals engaged in a scheme to sell false and fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts.
The alleged scheme involved the selling of fake and fraudulent nursing degree diplomas and transcripts obtained from accredited Florida-based nursing schools to RN and Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse (LPN/VN) candidates. The individuals who acquired the fake nursing credentials used them to qualify to sit for the national nursing board exam. “Students” were encouraged to apply for licensure in states like Iowa that do not limit the number of times a person can take the National Council Licensure Examination.
One of the businesses implicated in the investigation was the school the woman had said she attended. The woman acknowledged she did not participate in any nursing coursework or clinical education at the school, but said she took a review course for the national licensure exam. She also could not recall the names of any of the nursing school’s administrators or instructors she may have interacted with.
Shortly before receiving her Iowa license in 2019, the woman began working as an RN for one of the largest nursing home operators in Iowa, and was still working there as recently as this summer. At a recent Board of Nursing hearing, she argued that she believed her degree from the school was legitimate. The board stated it did not find that claim to be credible and it revoked her license.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
The purpose of a professional license is to protect the public from harm by setting minimal qualifications and competencies for safe entry-level practitioners. Nursing is regulated because it is one of the health professions that poses a risk of harm to the public if practiced by someone who is unprepared and/or incompetent. Boards of nursing established standards for safe nursing care and issue licenses to practice nursing. The selling and purchasing of nursing diplomas and transcripts to willing but unqualified individuals is a crime that potentially endangers the health and safety of patients.
Discussion Points
- Review policies and procedures for verifying the status of professional licenses. Update as necessary.
- Train appropriate staff to follow protocols for verification of licenses and certifications of employees at the time of hire and on an ongoing basis to ensure that those licenses remain up to date and are unencumbered. Ensure that training is provided to licensed personnel about their responsibility to maintain an active license and to notify administration should their license be suspended, expire, or if they are added to the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE). Document that these trainings occurred, and file the signed documents in each employee’s education file.
- Periodically audit to verify that the licensing and certifications of employees are valid and up to date. Immediately address any negative findings.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
