The Iowa Board of Nursing has publicly acknowledged that it is investigating and in some cases revoking the licenses of nurses who hold suspect credentials from the now-closed Florida nursing schools involved in a massive nursing school fraud scandal.
You need skilled and experienced license defense services if you are a nurse licensed and practicing in Iowa under suspect credentials from one of the involved Florida nursing schools. The Lento Law Firm's premier License Defense Team and national license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento are ready to help you fight for your nursing license and job in Iowa. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now for the help you need to face and overcome your nursing license issues.
The Massive Florida Nursing School Fraud Scandal
A massive nursing school fraud scandal is rocking a nursing profession already struggling with unprecedented staff shortages after a devastating pandemic. Federal FBI and Department of Health & Human Services investigators have alleged in their Operation Nightingale that thousands of aspiring nurses, many of them minority immigrants, purchased fraudulent credentials from these Florida nursing schools:
- Quisqueya Health Care Academy;
- Sacred Heart International Institute;
- Palm Beach School of Nursing;
- Siena College;
- MedLife Institute West Palm Beach; and
- Quisqueya School of Nursing called Sunshine Academy.
The Operation Nightingale enforcement action resulted in federal criminal fraud charges against more than two dozen officials of these schools, which closed in the wake of the federal charges. The criminal cases allege that the involved nurses used fraudulent credentials for admission to graduate nursing education and for nursing licenses and jobs across the nation. Federal officials suggest that nurse staffing shortages fueled the fraud scandal.
Nationwide Nursing Board Investigations
When Iowa's Board of Nursing publicly acknowledged its credentials investigation and that it had already revoked nurse licenses related to the fraud scandal, it joined a chorus of state license officials nationwide. A National Council of State Boards of Nursing press release throws the full support of state licensing boards behind Operation Nightingale enforcement. Public reports and private information confirm disciplinary investigations and license revocations nationwide, against nurses involved in the Florida nursing school fraud scandal. Your best move is to prepare for license disciplinary proceedings if you practice nursing in Iowa under suspect Florida nursing school credentials.
Iowa Board of Nursing Investigation Authority
Iowa's Nurse Practice Act authorizes the Iowa Board of Nursing to adopt educational requirements and enforce those requirements for nurses pursuing or holding licenses. The Act's Section 147.55 expressly authorizes the Board of Nursing to suspend or revoke the license of a nurse for “[f]raud in procuring a license.” To suspend or revoke a nursing license in a contested proceeding, the Act's Section 155.10 requires the Board to follow the Iowa Administrative Procedure Act's protective procedures ensuring due process. Those protections enable your retained license defense attorney to help fight for your rights.
Iowa Nurse Employer Investigations
Iowa's Board of Nursing is not the only entity interested in investigating suspect Florida nursing school credentials. Your employer in Iowa holds the same responsibility to protect its patients and the public against unqualified nursing. Employers nationwide have been cooperating with state licensing officials to identify, investigate, and in many cases terminate the jobs and nursing practice of nurses holding the suspect credentials. Employers have also offered protective procedures, though, through which you may prove the credibility of your disputed credentials.
Premier Iowa Professional License Defense
Retain the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team and national license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento for the premier skills and substantial experience you need in your Iowa professional licensing issues arising out of the Florida nursing school fraud scandal. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now for the special help you need for your best outcome.
