May 23, 2024
How can you tell whether a nurse is fake? The National Council of State Boards of Nursing released guidance this week aimed at helping employers, educators and others who assess nurse applicants spot one.
“While the vast majority of nurses are safe, competent and worthy of the public’s continual ranking of them as the most trusted profession, there are a small number of opportunists that seek to exploit this trust in pursuit of advancing their education or career,” Nancy Spector, director of nursing education at the NCSBN, said in a press release.
“Fraud in nursing is a serious health concern, posing a threat to patients and eroding their confidence in the profession,” Spector continued. “This statement is designed to increase awareness and help implement methods of fraud detection and prevention.”
The full statement is online.
Some of the recommendations include:
- Check references.
- Review all transcripts and documents carefully.
- Be alert to red flags such as inconsistencies in the information on applications and transcripts or criminal background checks.
In all, there are 10 recommendations in the document.