Nurse deregistered after criminal charges uncovered

A nurse, who appeared at Geelong Magistrates’ Court twice facing drugs and deception charges has had her registration stripped.

The Herald Sun reported the former nurse appeared before the Magistrates’ court in 2018 and 2022 facing nine and four charges respectively, relating to falsified medical certificates and illegally obtained drugs.

The former Geelong hospital nurse failed to appear before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s (VCAT) hearing into her registration as a nurse.

According to the Herald Sun, the panel, including nurses, found the drugs in the nurses’ possession were not “typically or frequently” used in an emergency department and that “a whole box of medication and other large quantities were found at her home”, with the panel also finding it would be unlikely to fit into the nurses’ pocket or to be forgotten. 

The nurse also failed to inform the panel of a change to her criminal history when applying to renew her registration, with the court hearing she’d assumed her criminal history hadn’t changed because in 2018 she was found guilty, but no conviction was recorded.

The paper reported the behaviour of the former nurse didn’t show a deliberate attempt to hide her criminal convictions, but it did demonstrate a “lack of insight” and “understanding” into the seriousness of the charges.