Fake nurses double in Arizona

Overstating credentials also is a problem. Both reflect the nationwide shortage of nurses.

The Arizona Republic    Thursday, July 28, 2005
 

The number of people caught posing as nurses in Arizona has doubled over the past two years and continues to rise in the midst of a national nursing shortage.

Impostor nurses are applying for jobs all over the state, from a senior living home in Tucson to a Phoenix hospital. Some impostors have no nursing credentials. Others overstate credentials.

The potential for harm is significant, nursing managers said, as nurses provide critical care at every level of the health-care system.

In 2001 and 2002, the State Board of Nursing, the organization that verifies nurse licenses, found seven impostor nurses each year. In 2003, there were 14. Last year the total was 29. This year, there have been 12 impostors, officials said.

Though it is illegal to pose and practice as a nurse without a license, experts say more people are trying because of the high demand, good pay and incentives used to attract nurses to Arizona.

With that kind of market, "You're going to see people who are going to look for opportunities," said Dawn Kappel, director of marketing and communications for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

Other states, such as Maryland and New York, also have screened out impostors.

The typical impostor has some previous health-care education or experience, but the license may have been revoked or be valid just in another state.

Not all impostors interact with patients. Employers often catch them during the hiring process.

In most cases, impostor nurses are faking documents or credentials to land jobs.

In June, Phoenix resident Marcia Myers submitted an online application to Phoenix Baptist Hospital for a position as an emergency room nurse, board records show. On the application, she said she had a registered nurse's license and had nursing experience in Michigan and Tennessee.

Myers accepted a position at the hospital and began orientation in June.

When she didn't submit a nursing license document, her employer contacted the board. It turned out Myers didn't hold a license.

Misrepresenting oneself as a nurse is a felony.

The state tries to prosecute impostors, typically when there is enough evidence to charge someone with an offense, according to the Attorney General's Office.

A grand jury charged Myers last month with one count of fraud and two counts of forgery, Maricopa County Superior Court records show.

Maricopa County conviction

In September 2004, Nancy Volk was convicted in Maricopa County Superior Court for unlawfully representing herself as a nurse and writing fake information on a job application.

Volk's nursing license was revoked in 1997. In 2003, she applied for employment with Cross Country Local, a nursing employment agency, and was placed at Mesa General Hospital's surgical unit, court records show.

Volk was sentenced to four years of probation, 60 days in jail and had to pay more than $17,000.

The strong market for qualified nurses is a tempting target for people who pose as nurses.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 1 million nurses will be needed by 2012.

An entry-level registered nurse can expect to start out earning up to $27 per hour - about $56,000 a year - not including signing bonuses and overtime pay, according to the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association.

Fake documents flashed

Karen Rizzo, director at Bayada Nurses, a licensed home health agency in Tucson, said it's more lucrative now for people to pretend to be nurses.

"People are desperate," Rizzo said. "They know we need to hire people."

More impostors are using fake documents when applying for jobs.

Some use another nurse's license as their own or change the expiration date on their license.

They also overstate credentials, saying they are a registered nurse when they are a licensed practical nurse. An RN has completed more education and can perform more clinical procedures than an LPN.

Valerie Smith, the Arizona Board of Nursing's associate director of complaints and investigations, said employers are not required to check the original document, so impostors have often altered copies of documents.

When an impostor is discovered, employers contact the Board of Nursing. Board investigators check records to see if the person's license number belongs to the individual. When they find out that the person is impersonating a nurse, the board sends a cease and desist letter, then often turns to prosecutors.