7000+ people bought fake degrees that allowed them to qualify to take the Nursing Boards.
I agree, broadly, that fraud is bad. But these 2800 people passed the Nursing Board exam. What they didn't do was pay for the classwork that supposedly educates them to take the exam.
What do we actually value? The education that leads to this, or the certification that it's been learned? The people upset by this report appear to think the former, which might be good. This then makes me wonder why we bother with the exam at all?
@kristofor Reminds me of a joke I heard waaay back in the day.
What do you call someone who graduates med school with a D average?
"Doctor."
It's a thorny question. One could argue that requiring a degree to take the exam allows the exam writers to assume that other requirements have been met already - particularly ones that would be hard to test, like internship hours.
(caveat: I am not a nurse and don't know any specifics about the exam or nursing school)
@djdesign Yeah that joke's a standard in the business (usually as "What do you call the person who graduates last in their Medical School class?").
I agree the exam is probably not a great test of things like technical ability. But on the other hand it does help detect the ~4000 people who bought degrees and couldn't pass the test.
Not sure what the right answer is, but it's hard for me to picture these 2800 people as total frauds who are dangerous to patients if they did pass the Board exam.
@kristofor re the 2800: I agree, and I'd bet some
of them were "innocent" victims themselves - couldn't afford school, believed a "get a nursing degree fast!" ad, were motivated (by economic situation, immigration status, etc) to find an answer quickly and maybe avoid any official spotlights.
E.g. an immigrant/refugee who's been working as a home-help aid and wants to advance that career but needs official certification, and doesn't have the resources. But their desire and skill are genuine.