Tribunal orders costs against enrolled nurse for obtaining registration improperly

16 Nov 2015

A tribunal has found an enrolled nurse provided false and misleading information to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to gain registration in Australia.

In November 2014, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia received a notification alleging that Miss Jilian St Joan Patrick had improperly obtained her registration as an enrolled nurse by providing false documentation to the Board. The issue related to information she provided to indicate she met the Board’s English language registration standard, when she did not.

The Board had granted Miss Patrick registration as an enrolled nurse in February 2012, based on the false document. In February 2015, the Board suspended her registration as an enrolled nurse, to manage risk to patients pending other inquiries.

In June 2015, Miss Patrick was granted registration as a registered nurse, when she provided legitimate information that she met the requirements for registration as a registered nurse. In July 2015, Miss Patrick surrendered her registration as an enrolled nurse.

During the course of the Tribunal proceedings, Miss Patrick admitted that her registration as an enrolled nurse was improperly obtained because she provided a certified document to the Board stating she had studied eight subjects at high school that were taught and assessed in English, when four of these subjects were taught and assessed in Malay.

In her defence, Miss Patrick said the document had been sourced by her mother and she did not check it carefully and therefore did not know if was false and misleading until November 2014.

The Tribunal found her registration as an enrolled nurse was improperly obtained and ordered her to pay $1300 towards the Board’s legal costs.

The reasons for the tribunal’s decision are on the State Administrative Tribunal (WA) website and will be published on Austlii.

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