Credentialing & Privileging | 03.14.23
States Move to Crack Down on Nurses With Bogus Diplomas
by Associated Press
Multiple state medical licensing boards are taking action against nurses with fraudulent academic credentials in the wake of Operation Nightingale, a federal investigation that uncovered a wire fraud scheme in which three now-closed Florida nursing schools were found to have issued bogus nursing diplomas and transcripts from 2016 to 2022. In New York, for instance, 903 nurses have been ordered to provide proof of legitimate education or surrender their licenses. Dozens of nursing licenses have been revoked in Delaware and Washington, and 23 nurses in Texas are facing administrative charges. Of the approximately 7,600 students who paid an average of $15,000 for phony diplomas from the Palm Beach School of Nursing, Siena College, and the Sacred Heart International Institute, prosecutors say about 2,400 passed licensing exams to work as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, or vocational nurses in several states. Some of these individuals were experienced LPNs seeking RN credentials or had worked as health care providers in other countries.
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