Failure to Verify RN Licensure for Nursing Staff
Penalty
Summary
A facility failed to verify that a staff member hired as a Registered Nurse (RN) possessed an active professional nursing license in accordance with state laws. The staff member, identified through employment records and licensure verification, worked as an RN for several months. The personnel file included a Maryland Board of Nursing (MBON) licensure verification with the same first and last name as the staff member, but the middle name was missing, and subsequent checks revealed discrepancies. The staff member's competencies were reviewed and no performance issues were documented during her employment. Further investigation revealed that the staff member did not have an active RN license but was registered as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in Maryland, with her middle name included in the registry. Attempts to verify her RN license in both Maryland and North Carolina were unsuccessful, and the North Carolina Board of Nursing did not have her listed. Interviews with facility staff and external parties, including a staffing agency and another facility, highlighted concerns about the staff member's credentials, particularly regarding inconsistencies in her name and the absence of a valid nursing license. Despite these concerns, the facility's Human Resources process failed to detect the lack of a valid RN license, relying instead on incomplete or mismatched documentation. The staff member continued to work as an RN until she left the facility, and no further investigation was conducted by facility staff when questions about her licensure arose. The deficiency was identified through a review of employment records, licensure verification, and staff interviews, confirming that the facility did not ensure all nursing staff were properly licensed as required by state regulations.