Woman Fired After Working 20 Years as Hospital Nurse Without a License

The staff and administrators of the hospital in Jonquière, Quebec, were in disbelief when it was discovered that a woman who had been working as a nurse and caring for hospital patients was a fraud.

Working as a ‘Nurse’

Following 20 years of experience in the job, the woman was immediately fired from her position in the said hospital by the health authority in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of eastern Quebec.

The health authority revealed that the woman managed to get hired and retain her position by presenting someone else’s nursing license number with an identical name as hers.

It was during her enrollment in a training course when an official remarked that the age placed on her license number did not meet up with her actual age.

Her tactic readily made headlines and she was quickly suspended pending an investigation, which led to her expulsion.

Prior to her dismissal, the woman had served in various departments of the hospital, including the operating room.

No Evidence of ‘Nursing Degree’

The health authorities teamed up with the investigators and found out that there is no evidence the woman had a nursing degree.

“Over the years, the documents asked of her were provided — falsified documents,” said spokeswoman Joelle Savard. She mentioned that the gap in its records system has been settled to ensure two people cannot use the same license number.

The spokeswoman was in disbelief how someone with no formal training had remained in the position for so long without anyone noticing her secret. She thought that the woman had been with mostly good medical staff and incorporated the basic and required skills for the job.

Big Surprise

The news arrived as a great hysteria, according to a union representative, Julie Bouchard.

“A few weeks, or a few months, that has happened before. But for such a long time, in our minds it was impossible,” she said.

President of Quebec’s Order of Nurses, Luc Mathieu, stated such matters involving frauds are rare but can cause great distress.

“It’s very serious, because that person could have committed acts that could have had serious consequences for patients,” he stated.