Reports indicate that the North Carolina Board of Nursing is secretly investigating nurses practicing in the state, whose credentials reflect education at the now-closed Florida nursing schools alleged to have sold fake degrees and fraudulent transcripts.
You need skilled and experienced professional license defense representation if you are a North Carolina nurse with suspect credentials from one of the Florida nursing schools. Retain national professional license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm's License Defense Team to protect your North Carolina nursing license and job against nursing license issues. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now for premier license defense.
The Nursing Schools Fraud Allegations
The Department of Health & Human Services pursued Operation Nightingale to discover evidence of the alleged fraudulent credentials scheme. Acting on the Department's information, a U.S. Attorney's Office in Florida filed criminal fraud charges against more than two dozen nursing school officials. The charges allege the sale of thousands of fraudulent credentials at these closed Florida nursing schools:
- Palm Beach School of Nursing;
- Sacred Heart International Institute;
- Quisqueya Health Care Academy;
- Siena College;
- MedLife Institute West Palm Beach; and
- Quisqueya School of Nursing, also called Sunshine Academy.
Nursing Board Notices
Nursing boards nationwide are serving investigation notices on nurses, many of them minority immigrants, who have suspect credentials from the closed Florida nursing schools. The state boards are demanding that the involved nurses either prove the authenticity of their education at the suspect schools or surrender their nursing licenses. Nurses who refuse to comply face disciplinary hearings and license suspension or revocation. The ongoing North Carolina Board of Nursing investigations will likely lead to investigation notices and demands to surrender licenses.
North Carolina Board of Nursing Authority
The North Carolina Nursing Practice Act authorizes the North Carolina Board of Nursing to establish and enforce educational credentials for a nursing license. The Act also authorizes disciplinary action against licensed nurses who violate educational or other nursing standards. The very first disciplinary grounds under the Act's Section 90-171.37 is that a licensed nurse “[h]as given false information or has withheld material information from the Board in procuring or attempting to procure a license to practice nursing.” North Carolina's Board of Nursing can suspend or revoke your nursing license for fraudulent credentials from one of the suspect Florida nursing schools.
North Carolina Employers Notify Nurses
Your North Carolina employer may, like nursing employers nationwide, also notify you that it is investigating your nursing credentials from one of the closed Florida schools. That notice may suspend or terminate your employment. Your employer may also turn you over to the North Carolina Board of Nursing for license disciplinary proceedings.
North Carolina License Defense Attorney
Fortunately, both state licensing boards and nursing employers are offering involved nurses opportunities to prove the credibility of their nursing credentials. The professionals at the Lento Law Firm have the special skills and substantial experience to help you achieve the best possible outcome to your professional license issues. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now for nursing license representation in North Carolina.
