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Yet . "I encourage those of you -- if you're in a setting and you happen to have someone that may not be practicing up to the standards as you understand it, maybe if you see something, say something.". It is unclear whether the 26 Delaware nurses who had their licenses annulled were actively working in direct patient care roles, and if they were, at what facilities. Cities & Towns Click I agree to the terms and conditions. The crime ring allegedly sold more than 7,600 bogus nursing certificates. ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report. The Justice Department closed down 3 fake nursing schools that handed out over 7,600 fake nursing degrees, certifications, and transcripts. Section 2.4.1.7.4 of the Boards, At least 1,000 hours of nursing practice during the five years (60 months) before submitting an application, At least 400 hours of nursing practice during the two years (24 months) before submittingthe application, Completion of a Board-approved refresher program, as an RN, at least 30 hours of CE within the past two years, as an LPN, at least 24 hours of CE within the past two years. All applications are submitted our online system DELPROS. The FBI works with state nursing agencies across the country to identify unqualified nurses. Delaware annuls 26 nurses' licenses amid degree scheme probe During renewal, you must attest that you have completed the required continuing education (CE) and that you have practiced Nursing at least 1,000 hours in the past five years or 400 hours in the past two years. Click HERE for Important Information for Licensees struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues. "And of course, erodes the centuries-old trust we have built with our country's nurses.". The Delaware Board of Nursing revised its regulations to add a requirement that nurses provide workforce data upon renewal and reinstatement. "For them, it was worth the investment, or the risk," Aybar told ABC News. Submit the required documentation along with the correct processing fee. Texas and Delaware, and resulted . of Laws, c. 466, 2; 69 Del. "What is disturbing about the scheme is the possibility of harm coming to patients under the dubious care of one of these allegedly fraudulent nurses," acting Special Agent in Charge Chad Yarbrough, FBI Miami, said. They will do all in their power to enhance and honor the profession. State Regulations (c)A license may be renewed up to 60 days past the license's expiration date, by submitting to the Division of Professional Regulation payment of the penalty fee referred to in subsection (b) of this section and proof of completion of continuing education requirements. In early November 2022, the FBI alerted Delaware's Board of Nursing that an owner of four Florida-based schools sold fake college degrees to students who then used the phony credentials to get nursing licenses from states nationwide. Privacy Policy Fake Florida Nursing School Sells 7,600 Phony Diplomas and Certificates To download the disciplinary document (board order), click View next to each document. Social Media, Built by the Government Information Center If you are a RN who holds an active APRN license, you must also request that your APRN license is placed on inactive status. 26 Delaware nurses have had their licenses revoked in connection with a The state is "not able to share the names" of the nurses found with these licenses until they have all been given the opportunity to have hearings, he said. Delaware Courts A few months before the expiration date of your license, a renewal notice will be sent to the email address on the record. An active license must be renewed in DELPROS before the expiration date. They will do all in their power to enhance and honor the profession. You may apply onlyif one of the following applies to you : If the jurisdiction where you are currently licensed is a compact state, you can work in Delaware with your current compact state license until your Delaware license is issued. "I'm confident that there will be a level of accountability that all of these individuals will face," Aybar said. States are cracking down on fake nurses after a federal - Fortune practice of 600 hours over the past two years in the specialty, graduation from the specialty program within the past two years. For more information about CE requirements and audits, click on the Continuing Education and Audit Information webpage or see Section 9.0 in the Nursing Rules and Regulations and Question 10 in the Frequently Asked Questions. Investigating agents spent weeks combing through upwards of 10,000 records from nursing schools to move the investigation forward. Submit an endorsement application only ifyou currently hold an active Nursing license of the same type in another jurisdiction (state, U.S. territory or District of Columbia) and you havenever held a Delaware Nursing license of the same type. Locations Directory On Wednesday, the Justice Department released details of whats been dubbed Operation Nightingale, in honor of Florence Nightingale. A fake nursing diploma scheme brings 25 arrests in Florida : NPR Enter the last name, first name, profession, type (license type), and/or license or approval number of the practitioner, then click SEARCH, To view any disciplinary history on the license, click Yes under the. To view the law, click Delaware Code . MMXXIII Delaware.gov, Professional License Services for Military Personnel, Continuing Education and Audit Information. State Employees Read the full article. If you do not complete this workforce data in e-Notify prior to renewal, your license will be placed on hold until it is completed and has been verified. "Not only is this a public safety issue, but it also tarnishes the reputation of nurses who actually did the hard clinical and coursework required to get licenses and jobs," Lapointe said. NURSING 1918. On the ATTACHMENTS page of your application, you may be instructed to: In addition to submitting the application and fee in DELPROS, you must submit: For information on applying for a temporary permit, see RN/LPN Temporary Permit. You cannot practice as an APRN while your RN license is in inactive status. A RN and/or APRN with an inactive license cannot practice or volunteer in that professional capacity. Delaware State Code See also Open Data Portal How-To Video Guides. this Section. About 2,400 of the 7,600 students eventually passed their licensing exams mainly in. Social Media, Built by the Government Information Center The license of a nurse who fails to renew on time is considered lapsed and the nurse is not permitted to work until the license is renewed. APRNs who have been out of active clinical practice more than 2 years but less than 5 years must submit 24 hours of CE with 12 hours in pharmacotherapeutics and 12 hours in the clinical management of patients taken within 1 year before application. The Delaware Board of Nursing annulled 26 licenses. If you already have a DELPROS user account, enter your email address and password on the. Gross Receipts Tax All Rights Reserved. There is an Export option to convert the data into an excel document if you choose. The defendants include "owners, operators and employees" of the schools who "prepared and sold fake nursing school diplomas and transcripts to nursing candidates, knowing that the candidates would use those false documents to one, sit for nursing board examinations, secure nursing licenses, and three ultimately obtain nursing jobs in medical facilities -- not only in Florida, but elsewhere across the country," Lapointe said. Although they still had to take the exam, the bogus credentials allowed them to skip vital steps of the competency and licensure process, officials said -- and once licensed, those individuals were able to find a job in the health care field. In three cases that have already been heard, Baltazar-Lopez said it was "determined the nurses committed fraud.". This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, There is a newer version "When we take an injured son or daughter to a hospital emergency room, we don't expect -- really cannot imagine -- that the licensed practical nurse or registered nurse training our child took a shortcut.". That part was completely skipped.". Franchise Tax For information about supervised practice plans, see Section 4.0 of the Boards Rules and Regulations. Public meeting records from the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation identify that, in a closed session of the Delaware Board of Nursing in November 2022, 26 licensees were sent annulment letters. MMXXIII Delaware.gov, Professional License Services for Military Personnel, Continuing Education and Audit Information, Access the Open Data Portal at: https://data.delaware.gov/, Scroll down and click the Blue box that says Licenses and Certifications, Scroll down and click Disciplinary Actions for Professional and Occupational Licensees. The indictment claims Witherspoon entered into an agreement with another person in late 2018 to become 50% owner of Siena Education Center LLC and Siena College. Although they still had to take the exam, the bogus credentials allowed them to skip vital steps of the competency and licensure process, officials said -- and once licensed, those individuals were able to find a job in the health care field. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in jail. One of the people named in the federal indictment is Stanton Witherspoon of Burlington County, New Jersey, who was the founder and president of Nursing Education Resource Center, a Delaware limited liability company, located at 102 Larch Ave., Suite 203, in Newport. Why don't you get it in something less stressful and more . The advanced practice registered nurses' licensure or prescriptive authority is subject to biennial renewal coinciding with RN license renewal. All rights reserved. ' said Kathleen Czekanski, the dean of the School of Nursing. Details on this will be announced in February, but officials believe the nurses knew they were fraudulent. Elected Officials Hot times are ahead for the Philly region. Laws, c. 80, 9.; You're all set! Fake nursing degree: Feds announce massive takedown of fraudulent Follow the below instructions to obtain public disciplinary lists from Open Data Portal and access public orders from DELPROS. We no longer accept paper applications. When we talk about a nurses education, and credentials, shortcut is not a word we want to use, a U.S. Attorney said. To LOG IN or CREATE a DELPROS (Delaware Professional Regulation Online Services) user account: DELPROS allows you to save your incomplete application and return to it later to finish the process. Territory, or District of Columbia) where you have ever held a nursing license, you must complete the following continuing education (CE) requirement (see Section 9.0 of the Boards Rules and Regulations): You are required to list the CE you have completed in your Continuing Education Tracker. Elected Officials 8th Annual Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Conference, 29th Annual Meeting - The Business & Operations of ASCs, The Future of Dentistry Roundtable October, Conference Reviewers: Request for More Information, Digital Innovation + Patient Experience and Marketing Virtual Event, Beckers Digital Health + Health IT Podcast, Becker's Ambulatory Surgery Centers Podcast, Becker's Cardiology + Heart Surgery Podcast, Current Issue - Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control, Past Issues - Becker's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control, 8th Annual Becker's Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Annual Meeting. (g)Temporary permits to practice nursing may be issued by the Board to persons who have requested reinstatement of their license, if they have practiced nursing within the past 5 years. Withholding Tax How many hours of CE are required for your first renewal depends on when your license was initially issued. 26 nurses in Delaware had their licenses annulled in connection to this. This notice will explain how to access your online renewal application in DELPROS, our online professional licensure system. Officials said a scheme involved peddling more than $100 million worth of bogus nursing diplomas and transcripts over the course of several years. 24 Del. Aybar said one of the ways officials were alerted to the alleged scheme was when the Florida state auditing process discovered poor passing rates at three nursing schools. "For them, it was worth the investment, or the risk," Aybar told ABC News. RELATED: Eyewitness News is tracking crime and safety across New York City and in your neighborhood, The alleged scheme enabled these nursing candidates allegedly buying the fake diplomas "to avoid hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of clinical training -- countless hours getting that experience," Lapointe said. Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. (i)An individual licensed under this chapter may, upon written request to the Board, be placed in an inactive status in accordance with the Board's rules and regulations. Your current home state of residence is Delaware, Your current home state of residence is another, Graduation from a Nursing education program within the past two years (24 months), The program must be a State Board of Nursing approved Registered Nurse or Practical Nursing education program. "All of us feel this is egregious," Pamela Zickafoose, MSN, RN, executive director of the Delaware Board of Nursing, told WPVI. Spokesman Rony Baltazar-Lopez said there are 35 more nurses on the FBI list who have expired Delaware licenses. Mobile Apps Delaware is a member of the interstate nurse licensure compact covered in 24 Del. Voting & Elections "As we started to poke through them we noticed there were no real courses the individuals took -- it was simply a cash mill," Aybar said. Board of Nursing - Division of Professional Regulation - Delaware From about November 2018 to October 2021, Sanon allegedly sold 2,016 fake diplomas and transcripts that falsely purported that recipients had completed the necessary courses and training at Siena College to obtain such degrees when they never had, according to the criminal complaint. Licensed By; L2-0013002: Nursing: Licensed Practical Nurse: Endorsement: Status Issue Date Expiration Date; Active: 04/05/2017: 02/29/2024: . State Agencies Section 2.4.1.7.4 of the Board's Rules and Regulations requires at least 200 hours of clinical experience for LPN students and at least 400 hours of clinical experience for RN students. Three Florida nursing schools soldthousands of fake nursing diplomas worth millions in a scheme that allowed aspiring nurses to bypass the required training to become licensed in the profession, federal prosecutors alleged Thursday. Specifically when we talk about a nurse's education, and credentials - shortcut is not a word we want to use," said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe. If they passed, they were able to obtain licenses and jobs in various states,. The Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys Office of Southern District of Florida announced that 25 defendants were changed in a scheme to sell and obtain fraudulent nursing degrees for the purpose of obtaining a license and practicing as a nurse. Woman's loaf pic questioned from far and wide, Pika Fire continues to burn in Yosemite National Park. Related Topics:Board of Nursing, Department of State, license renewal, nursing, Pro Reg, professional, professional licensees, professional regulation, Renewal, State of Delaware, Delaware's Governor Cities & Towns Officials said they had "not learned of, nor uncovered any evidence of patient harm stemming from these individuals potentially providing services to patients" -- but it was the potential for that harm to patients that was precisely the concern. Also read: father Deer licenses are sold like general hunting licenses | news, RELATED: Feds announce massive cuts in fraudulent nursing diploma program; 2 charged from South Jersey. Takedown of massive nursing diploma fraud scheme spanned 5 states It uncovered a massive, coordinated effort to sell more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas and certificates for more than $100 million. All information and forms are located on your professions webpages. Copyright 2023 Becker's Healthcare. Delaware State Code Recently unsealed federal grand jury indictments allege the defendants took part in a scam that sold more than 7,600 fraudulent nursing degree diplomas from three Florida-based nursing schools,. During each renewal, you must attest that: If you hold an active license but are not practicing in Delaware, excluding telehealth registrations, you may request to place your license in inactive status by submitting a Service Request in DELPROS. Laws, c. 122, 1, 2; 80 Del. Laws, c. 186, 1; 70 Del. The students paid a total of $114 million for the fake degrees between 2016 and 2021, the newspaper reported. Watch opening ceremony here, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7. There is no concern that this issue is more widespread than what has already been identified, according to Baltazar-Lopez, who added that in 2018, a more secure process was adopted to "verify applicants for licensure by exam were graduates of a board-approved nursing program.".