Dozens of defendants allegedly participated in a scheme to create an “illegal licensing and employment shortcut” for nurses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida. Five individuals pled guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and admitted to working with Palm Beach School of Nursing to create and distribute fraudulent diplomas and transcripts. These materials represented that the aspiring nursing candidates had attended the school and completed the necessary courses and clinicals to obtain their nursing diplomas when, in fact, the aspiring nurses had not completed the requirements. Each student paid the school $15,000 for the fraudulent nursing school diploma and transcripts.
As part of your due diligence in the hiring or contracting process, it’s important to vet applicants’ materials carefully to assure they are legitimate. For accredited agencies, competency evaluations are a required step in the hiring process and may help you identify those who are not able to deliver the standard of care your agency requires. Lastly, it goes without saying that if you’ve hired students who “graduated” from Palm Beach School of Nursing, you should certainly take steps to determine whether their credentials are valid.