New Mexico: nursing board urges vigilence after fraudulent license case
After a grand jury indicted an individual for impersonating a nurse by using three real nurses’ identities and providing care without a license, the New Mexico Board of Nursing urged tighter employer scrutiny to prevent such incidents. The Board noted that criminals sometimes steal names from nursing databases to create fake licenses, and encouraged healthcare employers to ask probing questions when someone’s knowledge seems inconsistent with their claimed credentials. The Board also maintains an online license verification portal and investigates reports of credential fraud, potentially referring serious cases to law enforcement. In response, the employer and the state Attorney General each released statements emphasizing the importance of accountability and public trust in healthcare, and pledging to pursue legal action to protect patient safety.