Information for Employers
In the aftermath of Operation Nightingale, many employers have asked about their responsibility in ensuring that only legitimately licensed nurses practice in their facilities in Texas. The Board shares the following information to assist employers in such an assessment.
First, the following schools were identified by law enforcement as selling fraudulent transcripts and diplomas: Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County, Florida; Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County, Florida; Quisqueya School of Nursing d/b/a Sunshine Academy, Florida; Med-Life Institute WPB, Florida; Quisqueya Health Care Academy, Florida; and Siena College of Health II in Broward County, Florida.
Five indictments have been filed in the Southern District of Florida against individuals involved in the scheme. These indictments contain additional details surrounding the scheme and are publicly available.
Further, federal authorities have indicated that there may be similar, but undiscovered schemes, for selling fraudulent nursing degrees, given the current nursing shortage and high demand for nurses. There are warning signs employers should watch for. Anyone who suspects that a nurse has been licensed using false credentials should report that individual to the Board.
It is important to note that some nurses who attended these schools did complete the required course work and clinical instruction and graduated with legitimate degrees and are not implicated in the fraudulent diploma/transcript scheme. While the warning signs below may be helpful in identifying potentially fraudulent activity, keep in mind that an individual who has attended one of these schools is not necessarily part of the fraudulent diploma/transcript scheme.
The following warning signs were identified by law enforcement as being potentially indicative of fraudulent behavior:
- If the licensee has a country of origin other than the United States, the year the licensee immigrated to the United States may be significant. Some fraudulent transcripts reflect dates of attendance while the licensee was still living in the licensee’s country of origin.
- The date of the licensee’s graduation is important. Some of the fraudulent schools were in ‘teach out’ status and were not permitted to enroll new students beyond specified dates.
- None of the listed schools were authorized to offer a bridge program; however, many licensees stated that hours worked at the LVN level would count toward the clinical requirements for an RN degree.
- Many of the licensees involved in the fraudulent scheme failed one nursing program prior to attending another school; a review of the nursing programs attended previously might be necessary to determine if transfer credits were legitimate.
- The location of the clinical instruction may be significant. Many licensees claimed that clinical instruction occurred in Texas when the Board had not approved such clinical instruction in Texas by an out of state program.
- A large gap in time between a licensee’s date of graduation and the date the licensee passed the NCLEX examination may be significant.
- Although nursing programs in Florida were authorized to temporarily provide online instruction from 03/21/20 to 06/26/21 under Emergency Order 20-003 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, be aware that licensees still must have completed the required number of hours of instruction for graduation.
Further, the Board has been made aware of the following closure dates for the schools:
- Quisqueya, Palm Beach School of Nursing, and Med-Life WPB were all in “teach out” status and were not authorized to enroll any new students in 2020 or 2021. Palm Beach School of Nursing last had enrollment on 09/15/2017. They had a teach out list of approximately 78 students at that time.
- Med-Life Institute West Palm Beach closed on 07/20/2016.
- Sunshine Academy closed on 03/29/2017.
- Quisqueya had last enrollment on 06/08/2018.
- Siena College of Health and Siena College of Health II closed on 10/13/2021.
- Sacred Heart International Institute closed on 06/01/2021.
As with all cases involving potential licensure revocation, the Board is obligated to follow the state’s due process requirements. If proven that a licensee obtained a license through fraud, the Board will take action to revoke the license. As soon as the Board is able to share additional information regarding individual licensees, it will make all public information available.
