Press reports of guilty pleas in the nationwide nursing school credentials scandal indicate that federal investigators admit no harm to anyone from the scandal: “Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General in Miami, said that, despite obvious public concern, the investigation has found no harm caused by any suspect nurses to patients so far.”

The continuing federal admission of no harm to anyone from the alleged nursing school scandal should seriously call into question the justification for challenging the credentials and licenses of the thousands of nurses nationwide whom federal investigators have implicated, especially when all licensed nurses have passed the NCLEX national credentialing exam.

If you face or anticipate a challenge to your nursing license, employment, and credentials related to the nursing school credentials scandal, retain the Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team and national license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento. Prepare now to defend the credibility of your credentials against overreaching and overzealous charges. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.

The Alleged Public Safety Concern

In its press release announcing the federal criminal charges against more than two dozen Florida nursing school officials, the Department of Justice stressed the “public safety concern” that the alleged credentials fraud raises, one that “erodes public trust in our healthcare system.” State nursing license officials repeated the concern. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing released a statement that “public safety and welfare” was its “top concern,” and that the alleged credentials fraud “could potentially undermine safe patient care.”

Why The Public Might Be Concerned

The reasoning that the federal investigators and state regulators promoted in their press release, which professional associations, state nursing boards, and media reports have uniformly seconded, is that nurses with fake educational credentials won't have the knowledge and skill for safe patient care. Indeed, given that the federal press release said that more than 7,600 nurses bought fake credentials to obtain licenses and go to work at hospitals across the country, one might assume that many patients have already suffered substantial harm.

Draconian Enforcement with No Harm

The public should find it strange, then, to say the least, that federal officials are instead simultaneously admitting no harm from the alleged credentials fraud. Federal and state officials are working together to revoke the licenses and end the nursing careers of hundreds if not thousands of nurses, when none of those allegedly suspect nurses may have caused any harm.

Why The Public Might Not Be So Concerned

But the public has a good reason in the midst of this extraordinary nursing credentials scandal not to be quite so concerned. Every licensed nurse with allegedly suspect educational credentials, whether an LPN or RN, passed the NCLEX to obtain state licensure. And that is precisely the NCLEX's purpose, to certify that whatever nursing school the candidate attended, and whatever the quality or even credibility of its program, the nurse who passes the NCLEX has the requisite knowledge and skill for patient care and safety. Maybe the public has no big reason for concern.

Premier License Defense Attorneys Available

If you face or anticipate a license proceeding challenging your nursing credentials related to the Florida nursing school fraud scandal, retain the Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team and national license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento now for your best outcome. Don't delay. Call 888.535.3686 or go online.