The sale and purchase of fake diplomas continue to occur on a massive scale. More than twenty people were indicted in Miami, USA for their involvement in buying and selling fake nursing degrees.

Three accredited universities — Siena College, Palm Beach School of Nursing, and Sacred Heart International Institute — have sold an estimated total of 7,600 degrees. All three institutions have now closed down.

No class attendance required

According to the indictment in this case, some of the defendants held high positions in the incriminated educational institutions. They were involved in the scheme of selling fake nursing certificates and transcripts to individuals who desired licenses and jobs as registered nurses and licensed nurse/vocational practitioners without taking the required classes.

With fake diplomas and transcripts, the buyers were “qualified” to take the national nursing board examination and obtain a license to work in nursing. This scheme is estimated to have been going on since 2016.

Fatal consequences

However, nursing is a profession that requires special education and training to provide safe and quality care to patients. There are no shortcuts to this skill.

With the circulation of 7,600 fake diplomas, this means that there are 7,600 people working as fake nurses, jeopardizing patient safety. As a result, after charging the perpetrators, local authorities are now seeking those who purchased the fake diplomas.

Apart from endangering lives, fake diplomas can also damage the reputations of those who honestly carry out their roles in this field. It causes the public and society in general to question the credibility of even nurses who have genuine titles and education, as well as tertiary institutions that carry out their functions honestly.

Fighting the practice of fake diplomas

The case of fake diplomas issued by accredited institutions in Miami is a serious blow to the academic world. It is truly unfortunate that those involved in the case are institutions that are widely recognized by the public.

Learning from this case, apart from carrying out their functions honestly, universities must also try harder to prove their integrity to maintain their reputation. One thing that is needed is openness and willingness to verify the certificates of alumni.

In recent years, document verification via phone, e-mail, and fax has started to phase out. One of the reasons for this decline is that these methods frequently fail to meet compliance standards and the Personal Data Protection Law. For instance, verification requests are often not accompanied by a consent letter signed by the alumni in question.

Other downsides to these conventional methods include verification results that take too long due to bureaucracy and an inefficient verification process. The solution to this dilemma is a one-stop verification platform provided by an impartial organization.

Through a verification platform such as www.education-verification.com, the document verification process will be more efficient in terms of time and resources. Here, verification is done in two steps: verification by academic staff and confirmation by supervisors, which drives the check-and-balance process. All results can be accounted for and are guaranteed to be accurate.

 

Putri
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