What if.....your Director has falsified his credentials?

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I have an unusual problem, that I hope someone can help me with. In the past year, our hospital has had an influx of nurses of all types: travelers, agency nurses, per diems, etc. and our hospital was also recently taken over by a well known corporation which buys up small community hospitals. During the course of the takeover, the Director of our Unit gave her resignation. It was difficult to find a replacement, but eventually a traveling nurse who had worked in other departments was hired to become the director. Recently, a fellow nurse discovered that our Director, who has now been on board nearly a year, is not listed as having a license with our state. In addition, he does not have a certification for CCRN, according to the AACN listings, however he signs all his memos with RN, CCRN, etc. and he also wears that title on his name badge. I would be inclined to forget about this, but now it is starting to worry me. Is it possible that nurses from other states somehow can slip through the cracks so that their history doesn't follow them? Can my hospital be sued in some way by patients who discover this? I don't want to be fired myself, but I want to be able to trust the integrity of the Director.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

If your director is illegally using the title of RN check your state nurse practice act as you may be legally obligated to report this to the board of nursing or risk action against your license. Many states have a duty to report /act. If not see if you can file an anonymous tip with your corporate compliance or risk management hotline b

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Thank you, I appreciate your help very much. This has started to burden me and I did not know who to talk to about this.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I would probably make a discrete, private appointment with someone in your Human Resources department. Talk to them about it -- not in an accusing way, but rather just reporting that there has been some gossip about this issue and you don't know what the truth is ... but thought you should tell somebody about it so that it could be looked into.

There might be a reasonable explanation. So don't make accusations that will ruffle feathers. Don't contribute to your unit's gossip about it. But simply pass the questions on to a Human Resources professional and ask them to look into the situation.

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Specializes in Going to Peds!.

I would NOT make an appointment with HR. I would call whatever anonymous corporate responsibility line y'all have. Most places have one.

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Please report this. I would go with the confidential line as opposed to HR. Your facility if anything may be embarrassed.

Also I'm not sure how those compact states go but is it possible he is licensed in a different state and you all didn't find him? Maybe his name is different?

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Specializes in critcal care, CRNA.
Please report this. I would go with the confidential line as opposed to HR. Your facility if anything may be embarrassed.

Also I'm not sure how those compact states go but is it possible he is licensed in a different state and you all didn't find him? Maybe his name is different?

My understanding is that travel nurses may keep their license but once you call a state your home residence then you change your license to that state.

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What made you guys decide to look him up anyway? Do you go looking up everybody your associated with to make sure they are an rn? Seems like you have ulterior motives .

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

My understanding is that travel nurses may keep their license but once you call a state your home residence then you change your license to that state.

You always need a license in the state you are working, just some states are compact states so you are licensed there by default of being licensed elsewhere. OP, is your state one of the compact states for RN licenses?

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I have an unusual problem, that I hope someone can help me with. In the past year, our hospital has had an influx of nurses of all types: travelers, agency nurses, per diems, etc. and our hospital was also recently taken over by a well known corporation which buys up small community hospitals. During the course of the takeover, the Director of our Unit gave her resignation. It was difficult to find a replacement, but eventually a traveling nurse who had worked in other departments was hired to become the director. Recently, a fellow nurse discovered that our Director, who has now been on board nearly a year, is not listed as having a license with our state. In addition, he does not have a certification for CCRN, according to the AACN listings, however he signs all his memos with RN, CCRN, etc. and he also wears that title on his name badge. I would be inclined to forget about this, but now it is starting to worry me. Is it possible that nurses from other states somehow can slip through the cracks so that their history doesn't follow them? Can my hospital be sued in some way by patients who discover this? I don't want to be fired myself, but I want to be able to trust the integrity of the Director.

Are you sure he doesn't appear with a different name than on his documents or badge?? Maybe he registered with a middle name or different last name(Sometimes people have hyphenated last names or more than one last name) . Don't make a scene before finding that out.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Don't make any accusations unless you have concrete proof to back them up, otherwise you may find yourself on the wrong end of a slander suit.

If you want to pursue this, then drop a carefully-worded note to the BON or your facility's HR or call your facility's compliance hotline...doing the latter may allow you to remain anonymous.

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Specializes in critcal care, CRNA.

You always need a license in the state you are working, just some states are compact states so you are licensed there by default of being licensed elsewhere. OP, is your state one of the compact states for RN licenses?

Yes I'm well aware. I was primary Texas with a license in Ohio as well. Just moved to North Carolina and all three are compact but since I am now a resident because I am a fulltime employee, I had to get a North Carolina license and make it my primary. I understand that travel nurses can just have their compact license but not actual permanent residents.

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