Alleged fake nurse in Kingston, Ont., charged with fraud

Police in Kingston, Ont., say a 22-year-old has been charged with fraud following an investigation into the alleged use of "forged documentation" to work as a nurse at Kingston Health Sciences Centre.

In February the hospital announced it had fired the employee, estimating they had worked with roughly 200 patients over a period of six months. 

Dr. David Pichora, the hospital's CEO, previously said the employee was caught during a routine check and a review had uncovered a variety of forged documents including "emails pertaining to education and certification, diplomas, degrees and college registration."

Following an investigation by the Kingston police fraud unit, the individual turned themselves in on Wednesday, police said.

The former hospital worker has been charged with fraud over $5,000, false pretense and three counts of uttering a forged document, according to police.

Police said they will not release the name of the accused as they are "not obliged" to do so.

Pichora declined to answer questions about the employee's identity or their medical training during the February news conference. He said the person had worked for the hospital previously, but not in a nursing role.

Hospital says it's made changes

The Kingston hospital launched its own internal investigation into the situation, which is now complete, leading to "immediate changes to its hiring and onboarding practice," it wrote in an email.

"Orientation of new graduates will only begin after they have obtained their registration and it has been verified," the email states, adding the hospital has made changes to "procedures for internal transfers of employees from unregulated to regulated positions within the hospital."

The hospital said it will now verify the status of its nurses with the College of Nurses of Ontario monthly, as opposed to annual checks in the past.

At the time the employee was fired, the college told CBC it has online tools to quickly confirm the registration status of anyone claiming to be a nurse, adding employers have an "obligation to confirm that nurses they employ directly or through an agency are entitled to [practise] nursing."

The hospital also stated Thursday it recognizes the "stress and anxiety" the incident caused for all patients who received care by the employee, and each of them has been contacted directly.

"Patients can also be reassured that when they are in the hospital, they are never under the care of just one individual as care is provided by teams of regulated health professionals," the statement read.

"Multiple staff members are always involved in monitoring each patient which adds an additional layer of safety."