West Virginia nurse licensing officials have publicly acknowledged that they are investigating an undisclosed number of nurses who may hold fake credentials purchased from the now-closed Florida nursing schools involved in a nationwide fraud scandal.
West Virginia nurses facing state Board of Nursing disciplinary proceedings and employer issues relating to the Florida nursing school fraud scandal need skilled defense services. The Lento Law Firm's premier License Defense Team is available in West Virginia to help you fight your nursing license issues arising out of the fraud scandal. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now to retain the Lento Law Firm's Defense Team and national license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento, for your best outcome.
The Florida Nursing School Fraud Scandal
The federal criminal fraud charges against dozens of officials from several Florida nursing schools rocked the nursing profession. Those charges alleged that the schools sold thousands of fake degrees and fraudulent transcripts over several years. FBI agents and HHS officials allege in Operation Nightingale press releases that those fake credentials went to thousands of aspiring nurses, including many minority immigrants, who together paid officials from these now-closed Florida nursing schools as much as $100 million:
- Sacred Heart International Institute;
- Siena College;
- Quisqueya School of Nursing also called Sunshine Academy;
- Quisqueya Health Care Academy;
- Palm Beach School of Nursing; and
- MedLife Institute West Palm Beach.
Nationwide Nursing School Fraud Scandal Impacts
Representatives of the nation's nursing profession assert that healthcare employers were already facing unprecedented staffing shortages before the Florida nursing school fraud scandal. Those staffing shortages may have contributed to the fraud scandal's extraordinary breadth. Nurses have allegedly used the fake credentials to get nursing licenses and jobs all over the nation. They have also allegedly used the bogus credentials for further nursing education. Those licenses, jobs, and degrees are now in jeopardy. National nursing journals and other media describe the fraud scandal's massive impact on nurses.
West Virginia Nursing Board Investigations
West Virginia nurse licensing officials' public acknowledgment that their licensing investigations are underway against an undisclosed number of nurses holding suspect credentials goes hand in hand with other state board investigations. Prepare for state license disciplinary proceedings. State licensing boards nationwide haven't hesitated to pursue disciplinary charges against nurses allegedly holding fraudulent credentials from the Florida nursing schools. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing has declared strong state nursing board support for Operation Nightingale enforcement actions. State spokespersons have also publicly confirmed that several state boards have already revoked nurse licenses, while many more state boards actively investigate the credentials of other nurses holding the suspect Florida nursing schools' credentials.
West Virginia Board of Nursing Investigation Authority
West Virginia law clearly authorizes the fraud investigations the state's nursing board has already undertaken. West Virginia's Nurse Practice Act recently renamed the state's former Board of Nurse Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses as the “West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses.” The Act's Section 30-7-2 requires that nurses practicing in the state hold a Board license. The Act's Section 30-7-4 authorizes the Board of Registered Nurses to set the education necessary for a license, establish the procedures and certifications necessary for a license, and hold disciplinary proceedings for nurses who violate those standards and procedures. Section 30-7-11 expressly authorizes the Board to revoke the license of a nurse “guilty of fraud or deceit in procuring or attempting to procure a license to practice registered professional nursing.”
West Virginia Nurse Employer Investigations
West Virginia hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare entities employing nurses will surely cooperate with the West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses' investigations into nurses suspected of holding fraudulent Florida nursing school credentials. Employers nationwide have already suspended and terminated nurses suspected of practicing under the fake credentials, while demanding that the nurses prove the credibility of their Florida nursing school credentials.
Skilled License Defense for West Virginia Nurses
Hundreds of professionals nationwide have retained the Lento Law Firm's premier Professional License Defense Team and national license defense attorney Joseph D. Lento to help them overcome their professional licensing issues. The Lento Law Firm is available in West Virginia to help you protect your nursing license, job, and career against the Florida nursing school scandal. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now to retain the Lento Law Firm Defense Team.
