Nurses who have relied on Siena College of Health nursing program credentials need professional license defense. Siena College of Health in Lauderhill, Florida (not to be confused with Siena College in New York State), has closed in the wake of the Operation Nightingale nursing school scandal. State licensing boards nationwide are investigating and revoking the licenses of nurses who relied on Siena College of Health credentials for their nursing degrees and licenses.
Don't face Siena College of Health nurse licensing issues alone. The nursing license and career for which you worked so hard may depend on skilled and experienced professional license defense. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now to retain the Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team and national professional license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento for your skilled and experienced nursing license defense. Your nursing education and license are under employer and state licensing official scrutiny.
Siena College of Health Accreditation
According to its website, Siena College of Health began in 1999 with its founder Eunide Sanon's commitment to providing access to quality allied health professional careers for individuals who aspired to improve themselves. Siena College of Health obtained both Florida Board of Nursing and Commission for Independent Education approval for its associate degree in nursing program and certificates in practical nursing and nursing assistant. Its practical nursing certificate program required eleven months and 1,350 hours. Its associate degree in nursing required six semesters. Siena College of Health also offered an RN to BSN program covering 120 credits in as little as twelve months. While nursing programs formed Siena College's core offerings, the school also offered other allied health field programs.
Siena College of Health Nursing Education
There can be little doubt that Siena College of Health provided substantial nursing education to its many earnest, ambitious, hardworking, and successful students. Siena College of Health could not have obtained Florida Board of Nursing and Commission for Independent Education approval without designing and implementing a nursing curriculum meeting those bodies' strict requirements. And to operate for over two decades under the scrutiny of state and national accrediting officials, Siena College of Health must have continued to meet those requirements. If you earned Siena College of Health educational credentials, then trust that you did so under the necessary state and national approvals.
Siena College of Health Scandal
Unfortunately, charging documents filed in the federal Southern District of Florida allege that Siena College of Health's founder participated in a scheme of “selling fraudulent nursing diplomas, educational transcripts, and other credentials, and assisting the purchasers in fraudulently obtaining licensure and ultimately employment in the healthcare field.” The criminal charges allege the sale of 2,016 fraudulent credentials. In addition to seeking the criminal conviction of the school's founder and three associates, the U.S. Attorney's Office seeks the forfeiture of $1,287,633 in criminal proceeds from the alleged scheme. Importantly, the charges only allege fraudulent sales “from on or about November 17, 2018, through in or around October 2021,” not across the nearly two decades of prior Siena College of Health operations. Your Siena College of Health education may have been perfectly legitimate despite the criminal charges.
Siena College of Health Credentials Licensing Impacts
As a consequence of these criminal charges, state licensing boards across the country have been notifying nurses with educational credentials from Siena College of Health that they are under investigation and at risk of losing their licenses. New York State's Office of the Professions, for instance, reports that although Siena College of Health was “at one time approved by the Florida Commission for Independent Education and the Florida Board for Nursing,” Siena College of Health has “since closed” after Florida's Department of Education “made an interim finding that” Siena College “operated in a manner contrary to the health, education, and welfare of the public.” New York's licensing officials, like other officials across the country, have demanded that nurses licensed under Siena College of Health credentials “either 1) return the license parchment or 2) have a qualified nursing program submit verification of acceptable education.” The National Council of State Boards of Nursing continues to urge licensing officials to go after the licenses of nurses with suspect Florida nursing school educational credentials.
The Value of Siena College of Health Credentials
Just because you attended Siena College of Health does not mean that you've done anything wrong in obtaining your nursing license. On the contrary, you have every reason to trust your education and licensure. You attended an accredited school. You obtained the necessary degree and transcripts. And you passed the National Council Licensure Exam while meeting all other licensure requirements. You may further have been practicing nursing competently and compassionately for many years, relying on your Siena College of Health credentials. You know the hard work and perseverance that your nursing career has taken. And you know its rewards. You should continue to trust in the value of your education and career while preparing to defend them.
Fighting Siena College of Health Credentials Charges
The state licensing boards taking action against nurses with Siena College of Health credentials must provide those nurses with due process. State licensing procedures require officials to give you fair notice and a formal hearing before revoking your license. A skilled nursing license defense attorney can put those procedures to their best use in your defense, presenting the best evidence that you earned your Siena College of Health credentials. License proceedings require special administrative advocacy skills. Get the qualified professional license defense help you need for your best outcome. Retain the Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team and national professional license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento to defend your Siena College of Health education credentials. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.
