Woman fired after posing as nurse at Kingston, Ont. hospital
A Kingston, Ont. hospital has fired a woman who used forged documents to pose as a registered nurse for six months.
The woman used false information to claim to be a registered nurse, Kingston Health Sciences Centre said in a news release. She worked primarily in the Kingston General Hospital's post-surgical unit from July 22, 2022 to Jan. 27 of this year.
"This individual undertook significant efforts to fraudulently gain employment with KHSC including providing extensive forged documentation of their qualifications and credentials,” Jason Hann, executive vice-president of patient care and chief nursing executive, said in the release.
Hann said the fraud was discovered during a routine check with the College of Nurses of Ontario. The check turned up that the woman was not registered with the college.
"We quickly took action to end the individual’s employment," he said. The hospital has launched an investigation and has also notified the college and Kingston police and will fully cooperate with any investigation by those agencies, the release said.
The hospital is also reviewing its hiring practices to prevent such an incident from happening again.
“We are in the process of reviewing our hiring and onboarding process to ensure there are not gaps in our systems that would allow for another incident to occur in the future,” Sandra Carlton, the hospital's executive vice-president and chief human resources officer, said. “While we believe this is a truly unique scenario, we will use this as an opportunity to strengthen our processes to the fullest extent possible to ensure it will not happen again.”
Along with her work in the post-surgical unit, the woman worked some shifts elsewhere between Dec. 1 and Jan. 27, the hospital said, includingin the Admission and Transfer Unit (ATU) and the following other units: Connell 10, Kidd 9, Connell 9, Davies 5, Kidd 5, Kidd 4, Johnson 3, Kidd 3, and Connell 3.
The hospital's investigation will focus on the impact on patients and their families, the release said.
"The hospital is currently in the process of contacting individual patients and families who were cared for by the former employee, to provide more direct information on its findings," the release said.
“We understand the stress and anxiety this news may cause for our patients and other KHSC staff. We will work directly with the impacted patients, families, and staff to address their concerns,” says Dr. David Pichora, the hospital's president and CEO.
“We are committed to speaking with each individual that reaches out to us using the contact information that has been provided to the patients who have been impacted.”
Any patients that has concerns can contact KHSC’s Patient Relations team at PatientRelations@Kingstonhsc.caor 613-549-6666, extension 4158.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.