The South Carolina Attorney General recently announced that the office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) had arrested a woman for allegedly practicing medicine as a registered nurse without a license at nursing and assisted living facilities. Using a State of Georgia Board of Nursing license number belonging to someone else, she gained employment as a registered nurse in seven different facilities. By holding herself out as having credentials she did not possess, the Attorney General noted, “her conduct resulted in a failure to provide adequate medical care and services to vulnerable adults and presented a substantial risk of causing physical or mental injuries to the residents under her care.”

She has been charged with seven counts of Neglect of a Vulnerable Adult, five counts of Unlicensed Practice as a Registered Nurse, one count of Financial Identity Fraud to Obtain Employment, and one count of Obtaining Signature or Property Under False Pretenses, value $10,000 or more.

At no time during this period did she have the certifications, qualifications, or training required of a registered nurse. It is unclear if the facilities conducted any background screenings when they employed her, but they are cooperating in the investigation.

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Many employees working in the healthcare industry are entrusted with the lives of vulnerable populations. As such, they are held to even higher levels of scrutiny and security. A healthcare background check is overseen by several governmental agencies at both the federal and state level, each of which has its own rules and regulations for both employers and employees. Click here to learn more about our healthcare screenings and why they are so important or contact us for more information.