Employee misrepresents credentials on name badge....

[Jill Mack]

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I'm really interested in hearing your opinions on an issue that is currently going on where I work.

A long-term, historically "difficult" social worker (with a Bachelor's degree) was discovered to have been wearing credentials on her employee name badge that identified her as a Licensed Master's in Social Work.

She wore this fraudulent name badge for over 3 years, including a period after it was pointed out to her by another employee. After it was pointed out to her, she acted surprised to see it and covered it up with a breast cancer sticker for a short time, then the sticker was removed and she proceeded to continue wearing it for another year.

This is a person that has been extremely hateful and jealous toward many people, especially other younger Master's level social workers at her place of employment. She is also the director of her department, and prides herself on the fact that she "answers to no one".

I know this is an ethical issue, as well as a matter of integrity and honesty, however everyone is afraid to report her (state licensing board does not accept annonymous reports), as they would have to sign their name to it and she would, literally, be out for blood.

Any opinions on this situation????

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Yeah, report her.

-t

 

[pingouin]

Given that this is an older social worker, it needs to be considered that she could have been "grandfathered" in to her license without what are now considered appropriate credentials. This happened in many states during the inception of licensure standards. At the time, they designated X number of years of experience in social services as enough to be licensed (not sure about the rest of the requirements). Many nurses and counselors, and even a few psychologists, wound up with LCSWs for that reason. I know that in my state, the grandfathered licensees did not have to take the licensure exam, either. It's becoming more rare to run across the grandfathered licensees, as many of them have moved on to different fields or retired.

Anecdotally, I can tell you that a guy I used to work with was grandfathered into his LCSW with only a bachelors... and the Director of Social Services for one of the hospitals I work at (affiliated with one of the top medical schools in the country, so it's not some little dinky place) has her LCSW... but is a MEd.

So although it is possible that your colleague could be engaging in fraudulent actions, there are other possibilities. My suggestion would be to take your concerns about her behavior to your supervisor first. If you get no response or inadequate response, that can go to HR as a grievance issue that personnel issues were not handled.

 

[Pekoe]

Yeah, report her.

-t

I second this.

http://www.socialworkers.org/

http://www.associationsites.com/main-pub.cfm?usr=CSWA

http://www.aswb.org/

Find out to which ones she belongs. These places can help. They make a huge issue about their professionalism, honesty and integrity.

She has to answer to someone and that person will be interested to know that they are "no one." Do you have some one in the personnel department who is not within her striking distance?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Good pt about the grandfather issues, but I don't think that excludes her from mis-representing her DEGREE (BS not MS). Good advice about talking with the supervisor first.

-t

 

[pingouin]

But if the name of the license that she got grandfathered for is "LMSW"- and that's what the OP typed out, she only bolded the Master's part-, then yes- that's what she gets to put on her badge. Do I LIKE that if she only has a bachelors? No, not particularly. But if I'm correct on the grandfathering thing, then the state deemed fit to give it to her so you can't report her for having it. Which is why it probably needs to go to a supervisor first. If she is legally entitled to use it, then the OP or her colleagues would absolutely stir a hornet's nest by immediately going to NASW or the state board.

T4C, they did the same thing with psychologists in my state. I have a former supervisor who is licensed as a psycholgist with only a masters in psych. Same license as the PhDs/PsyDs have, all because of grandfathering. Still gets to call himself "Licensed Psychologist". Fair to the doctorals? Probably not. Legal, though.

 

[Jill Mack]

Thanks for the responses....I REALLY appreciate the feedback. I'm trying to figure out if I'm just trying to beat a dead horse with this issue or if it really is as big a deal as I think it is.

This person most definately has only a Bachelors degree....by her own admission as well as it is listed on the Behavioral Sciences Licensing website.

The issue was reported via annonymous letter to her supervisors (including the CEO). The response, to say the least, was more than disappointing. Her supervisor said he would like to know who wrote the letter because he thought it was "the lowest of low" and very "in-professional" (his words, yes...he's a dumb %$$).

The most incredible part is that SHE is determined to find out who DARED to write this letter and her supervisor has encouraged her to file a grievance. Yes, you heard that right. Her supervisor has encouraged her to file a grievance against HR because she is claiming HR had sloppy files on her and that it was HR's fault she had the messed-up name badge. This is all despite the fact that every employee that goes to HR to get their name badge tells HR exactly what they want to have on it. This is a company with over 400 employees, so HR would never be expected to automatically know every different professional's credentials. The employee tells them what to put on the name badge, HR prints it and tells the employee...on the spot....to look it over and OK it. It is the employee's, as well as the Department Director's responsibility to OK it (and she is both).

Everyone is very intimated by this woman. She's very vindictive and quite frankly, she's scary.

 

[pingouin]

Does that Behavioral Sciences licensing board tell you what license she has? If it is the LMSW, then she's entitled to use it on her badge (unfortunately). However, if she's got a different license- ie, the LBSW or similar- then it is absolutely a reportable offense.

Social workers should ensure that their representations to clients, agencies, and the public of professional qualifications, credentials, education, competence, affiliations, services provided, or results to be achieved are accurate. Social workers should claim only those relevant professional credentials they actually possess and take steps to correct any inaccuracies or misrepresentations of their credentials by others.

Another option to investigate is to check with your state's NASW to do a confidential consult on what they think needs to happen. You might have to give them your name, but not the name of your coworker- at least not to start.

I'm sorry that you have such a difficult coworker; I have one, as well, and she has a habit of trying to make everyone's life miserable. Luckily for me, I'm outspoken enough to give her a little (professional) verbal smack-down every once in a while. 😉 However, that kind of moxy comes with experience, and I'm sure I'd treat her differently if I were new to the field.

 

[Jill Mack]

Pingouin- The Behavioral Science Licensing board has verified she has her LBSW, not LMSW. My Clincial Supervisor to-be notified NASW about this and asked them what should be done and they recommended it be reported to the Licensing board....thus the delimma about no one wanting to attach their name to a report against her.

Just curious, what do you suppose would happen if someone does report it? It's easily proven that she wore this badge for over 3 years (HR now has it back and has it on record when it was issued).

This is in a hospital, and any other profession that did this would probably be fired. IF an LPN wore a name badge claiming they were an RN for 3 years or if a RN wore a name badge claiming they were a Nurse Practitioner, etc.

I think the hospital has handled this poorly. Are they at any risk for their Accredidation by The Joint Commission about how they've handled this (or failed to handle it)???

 

[lgberck]

Report her. The investigation that follows will either find her badge acceptable or not and will determine any corrective action that needs to be taken. Its not only an ethical issue, she is misrepresenting how much formal education she has received and this can involve fraudulent billing issues and other potentially illegal, immoral, and unethical issues.

 

[pingouin]

Pingouin- The Behavioral Science Licensing board has verified she has her LBSW, not LMSW. My Clincial Supervisor to-be notified NASW about this and asked them what should be done and they recommended it be reported to the Licensing board....thus the delimma about no one wanting to attach their name to a report against her.

Just curious, what do you suppose would happen if someone does report it? It's easily proven that she wore this badge for over 3 years (HR now has it back and has it on record when it was issued).

This is in a hospital, and any other profession that did this would probably be fired. IF an LPN wore a name badge claiming they were an RN for 3 years or if a RN wore a name badge claiming they were a Nurse Practitioner, etc.

I think the hospital has handled this poorly. Are they at any risk for their Accredidation by The Joint Commission about how they've handled this (or failed to handle it)???

Hmm. Now that HR has her badge (and presumably is changing it to the appropriate credentials), will there be any other employer-based consequences for her? Will HR or a supervisor be reporting her? There's a strong chance that the random HR person won't know the SW code of conduct, so they may not "get" it.

My gut instinct says that if anyone reports it, it should be a supervisor. Less opportunity for retaliation, more ability to handle things as a disciplinary issue if retaliation is attempted. An alternative would be that everyone who has a concern reports it together so that it's seen as cohesive. The problem with that is people bowing out when push comes to shove... Could that be a bargaining chip with admin? "You do this or we're going to do it for you"?

Stepping back for a moment, let me ask you something related: If this woman was the best coworker ever, nice to all, did her work well and met all of her deadlines, and even baked cookies for everyone each Friday... would your reaction be this strong? And would you still be so eager to report? I'm not saying don't report- obviously this is a flagrant infraction- but I think there are multiple issues here and they need to be separated out a bit.


In the meantime, I need your HR department... I had to ARGUE with ours to get my badge to read "MSW LCSW" because my supervisor only approved "MSW" (they called her and got a verbal confirmation this was acceptable). And then my electronic sig still only says "MSW" and I've been there for over a year and a half! Oh that I had power over what my credentials read just so they could be correct!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

pingouin, I'd be pissed if they didn't have my badge right, I earned every letter after my name! I won't list everything, since it turns into alphabet soup (anyone ever get confused when looking at nursing credentials?!!), but I'd like to have that option.

-t

 

[pingouin]

oh my badge is correct- did I mention that I can be rather, uh, assertive? 😉 😀

I'd have to go look, but actually I work at 2 hospitals and I think one says MSW LCSW and the other just says LCSW. c'est la vie.

 

[michalita]

Stepping back for a moment, let me ask you something related: If this woman was the best coworker ever, nice to all, did her work well and met all of her deadlines, and even baked cookies for everyone each Friday... would your reaction be this strong? And would you still be so eager to report? I'm not saying don't report- obviously this is a flagrant infraction- but I think there are multiple issues here and they need to be separated out a bit.

Hmm... you read my mind! 🙂

 

[Jill Mack]

Stepping back for a moment, let me ask you something related: If this woman was the best coworker ever, nice to all, did her work well and met all of her deadlines, and even baked cookies for everyone each Friday... would your reaction be this strong? And would you still be so eager to report? I'm not saying don't report- obviously this is a flagrant infraction- but I think there are multiple issues here and they need to be separated out a bit.

I would feel it important enough to make an issue out of it until the badge was corrected.

The thing is with this woman, since so much of her "behaviors" go unaddressed by administration (I honestly believe they are intimidated by her...she acts like a bully and she has pulled the racial card in the past, as she's a person of color), then by reporting her to the BSRB it would HAVE to be addressed and proper action taken.....by people that would not be intimidated or find it just easier to "look the other way" in matters where she's involved. FINALLY someone in a position of power would be paying attention to how incredibly improper and unprofessional her behavior is.

Her behavior is getting more and more bizarre and I am hearing numerous complaints by patients, family members and professionals from other agencies that have to work with her. It honestly is a matter of concern to me that she could easily cause harm to a patient (either directly or through neglecting her duties) because she so often fails to do what needs to be done in her job or because she can just be so downright cruel.

 

[pingouin]

I would feel it important enough to make an issue out of it until the badge was corrected.

good

The thing is with this woman, since so much of her "behaviors" go unaddressed by administration (I honestly believe they are intimidated by her...she acts like a bully and she has pulled the racial card in the past, as she's a person of color), then by reporting her to the BSRB it would HAVE to be addressed and proper action taken.....by people that would not be intimidated or find it just easier to "look the other way" in matters where she's involved. FINALLY someone in a position of power would be paying attention to how incredibly improper and unprofessional her behavior is.

Her behavior is getting more and more bizarre and I am hearing numerous complaints by patients, family members and professionals from other agencies that have to work with her. It honestly is a matter of concern to me that she could easily cause harm to a patient (either directly or through neglecting her duties) because she so often fails to do what needs to be done in her job or because she can just be so downright cruel.

All of this is what I was speaking of when I said there are multiple issues at play. Much of what you describe sounds like "problematic employee" stuff which falls within the realm of HR and administration to be addressed. I recognize that you said they aren't doing much, however I'm not sure the licensing board would be an appropriate venue to take these issues. As I'm seeing it, what you're describing is ineffective leadership which permits her to continue these behaviors. That's not directly related to licensing. Many hospitals now have a "whistleblowing" hotline which sounds much more appropriate for this instance. THAT's what can get the administration involved and (hopefully) active.

Regarding the complaints you've received from patients and families.. what have you done with them? Those are often the voices administration will listen to due to public image issues and- let's be honest- concern about liability. Have you encouraged these patients to fill out a complaint card? HANDED them a complaint card? Offered to dial the supervisor's number for them? It's amazing what a well-placed "We're really dissatisfied, we won't be returning, and we'll tell everyone we know about the poor service we received" can do.

It's very easy to hear a complaint, internalize it, tell colleagues about it which probably fuels the fire and perpetuates the malignant environment rather than improving it. By encouraging (and empowering) the families/patients to take action, it's win-win. Bad behavior gets reported, you're out of the middle, and there's a documentation trail started which the employer can act on if needed. You can even document in a chart "Patient had a concern about customer service and was directed to HR to file a complaint."

 

[Jill Mack]

Thanks for the input, Pingouin. I have been encouraging patients/families with complaints to fill out the Patient Satisfaction Survery forms...I've even handed them out personally when it involves a particularly distressing case. I guess I'm to the point of thinking if Admin. doesn't seem alarmed about the number of distressing incidents concerning this person, then what else can I do????

I've been reading a lot about Bullies in the workplace....it's interesting and amazing how common people like this are (and how many of them also have Psychopathic behaviors). I guess I should just be thankful that I don't have to work directly with her (very often) or, more importantly, under her!!!!

Thanks again.

 

[pingouin]

Also for workplace issues, you may want to consult your EAP if you have one. That's their specialty, and they may be able to help direct you as to what the grievance procedures are for your hospital.

 

[Pekoe]

I have been thinking about this. Does anyone know of an attorney who wouldn't mind reporting this pro bono to the state board and stating that he is representing several employees who wish to remain anonymous?

Someone asked if you'd feel this way if she were nice, but you know, if she were nice, approaching her wouldn't be an issue. She may be having mental problems and the castle that she has built in her mind is now becoming her reality. Time to kick the countess out. . .

 

[Jill Mack]

I have been thinking about this. Does anyone know of an attorney who wouldn't mind reporting this pro bono to the state board and stating that he is representing several employees who wish to remain anonymous?

Interesting you mention this, Pekoe.

One of the complaints I have recently heard about involves a bad experience a local attorney here happened to have with her when his family member was in our hospital. This same attorney also just happens to sit on the hospital board!!!

Do you suppose it would be appropriate to approach him about this and see if he would report it????? He would be able to appreciate the legality of the misrepresentation and also know from first hand experience how unprofessional she can be....and if anyone should care about a good image and high standards for hospital employees it should be a board member, right?

 

[pingouin]

Someone asked if you'd feel this way if she were nice, but you know, if she were nice, approaching her wouldn't be an issue. She may be having mental problems and the castle that she has built in her mind is now becoming her reality. Time to kick the countess out. . .

Ah, but there lies yet another issue: if she does have mental problems, that would be covered through the ADA. An employer would need to make sure their documentation was meticulous regarding the employee's problematic behaviors, as well as their attempts to resolve these issues within the structure of the disciplinary action procedures in the policy manual. Anything short of that opens them up for losing a huge lawsuit. (Note I said losing- a lawsuit could occur even if they were within their rights to take action.) Of course this can be done, but building a documentation trail takes time.

Part of the OP's concern is that HR/admin has NOT acted within the policy guidelines, and that is why I would recommend she talk with the EAP and/or an employee hotline. Again, this would address the concerns the OP has re: her employer's inability to effectively manage an employee, not the employee's behavior. (Which, btw, is not the OP's to address directly as she is not a supervisor so far as I can tell.)

Interesting you mention this, Pekoe.

One of the complaints I have recently heard about involves a bad experience a local attorney here happened to have with her when his family member was in our hospital. This same attorney also just happens to sit on the hospital board!!!

Do you suppose it would be appropriate to approach him about this and see if he would report it????? He would be able to appreciate the legality of the misrepresentation and also know from first hand experience how unprofessional she can be....and if anyone should care about a good image and high standards for hospital employees it should be a board member, right?

If you did not actually work on that case in any clinical capacity, which it looks like you did not if you only "heard about" the complaint, then it would be a violation of federal privacy regulations to approach the patient or family to ask them to address their concerns. Violating HIPAA regulations to a board member is probably not a good idea.

Even if you did work on the case, I would propose that it would not be professional to initiate contact with the family solely with the intention of asking them to file a complaint. If you (or the colleague working with the family) have additional contact with them and THEY BRING IT UP, it is fine to encourage them to take action and direct them to the appropriate person.

Like them or not, you do have a professional obligation toward your colleagues per the NASW Code of Ethics. Read Section 2. Section 2.04(b) states

Social workers should not exploit clients in disputes with colleagues or engage clients in any inappropriate discussion of conflicts between social workers and their colleagues.

Your description of your colleague so far has been of someone who doesn't adhere to the Code of Ethics very well, and is getting away with it. It would be a shame to stoop to her level to catch her at her own game, and has the real potential to backfire on you.

 

[Pekoe]

Your description of your colleague so far has been of someone who doesn't adhere to the Code of Ethics very well, and is getting away with it. It would be a shame to stoop to her level to catch her at her own game, and has the real potential to backfire on you.

Is there anything that she can do, Pengouin?

 

[Jill Mack]

As far as approaching the attorney, I was thinking more in an annonymous way solely to give an FYI about the credential misrepresentation and to see how he thought it should be handled. I don't even know the specifics about his family's problem with her, just that there reportedly has been a run-in in the past, but I wasn't intending to bring that up at all to him. I only pointed that out to you all to show that he is a person that not only should give a hoot about the hospital because he's a board member, but also that he has had a personal experience with her so he would realize that this is a problem employee.

As far as the "mental problems"....this could be a very real possibility and would explain why to everyone else she seems to never be reprimanded or disciplined for her behavior at work. She did leave a previous job after having a "nervous breakdown". What exactly does a "nervous breakdown" mean these days, anyway?

I didn't even think about the EAP....I'll look into this. Do all companies have to provide this?

 

[TherapistDave]

Wow...it sounds like this is getting serious. The entire time I was reading everyone's post, I kept thinking to myself "what is this person doing in mental health?" If she'a a liar about her credentials, then maybe she just needs an ego boost in some way outside of work (or even in the workplace from cowrokers showing how nice people can be); if she's downright mean, she needs to leave the field. How unfortunate.

 

[pingouin]

She did leave a previous job after having a "nervous breakdown". What exactly does a "nervous breakdown" mean these days, anyway?

I'll nominate you for the Nobel Prize if you figure that out. 😉

I didn't even think about the EAP....I'll look into this. Do all companies have to provide this?

No, but many (most?) hospitals do. All the ones I've worked for, anyway. And it's confidential- your employer would not know that you consulted the EAP unless you tell them. At least it would be someone who practices in your state who knows the state laws better than any of us do here on SDN.

Is there anything that she can do, Pengouin?

1. If she has a clinical supervisor (who is not her direct work supervisor), ask for guidance on what to do.
2. Contact the EAP for guidance on what to do.
3. Talk with her work supervisor about her concerns. Be specific. No vague "I don't like her attitude" stuff. Needs to be "On this day, she said X, Y, and Z, and when I responded with D, she said G and H."
4. If issues are not addressed by the work supervisor(s), go to HR or contact the employee whistleblowing hotline if available. (I keep referring to this- one of my hospital systems has this, I don't know if all do. We can anonymously rat out anything we see going on that violates hospital policy and cannot be retaliated against for addressing our concerns.)
5. Encourage any patients, families, or outside agencies who come to her with a complaint about any coworker to address that complaint per hospital policy- complaint card, talk to supervisor, talk to HR, whatever. Don't go running after people to complain- that's tantamount to a witch hunt.
6. Licensure board could be contacted regarding the misrepresentation of credentials.
7. Above all, keep documentation of every contact she makes, and the response she receives, and KEEP IT AT HOME. Coworkers and supervisors have been known to snoop. Don't give them anything to find. After each contact with your supervisor, or HR, you could email a summary of the conversation to him/her, and print a copy to keep for yourself. This is what you show to the EAP or to HR admin when you tell them that you've tried to address issues but no one has acted on them.

 

[Pekoe]

Wow...it sounds like this is getting serious. The entire time I was reading everyone's post, I kept thinking to myself "what is this person doing in mental health?" If she'a a liar about her credentials, then maybe she just needs an ego boost in some way outside of work (or even in the workplace from cowrokers showing how nice people can be); if she's downright mean, she needs to leave the field. How unfortunate.

Too many in this profession get into it for the wrong reasons. I left my social work program at the last possible moment a couple of weeks ago to go into English (I am REALLY close to a degree) because people in my classes were dominating them with their personal issues and I wasn't learning a damned thing. In my Russian class, I met a BSW who is getting into nursing school because she said that what I was experiencing was what she was experiencing and she said that it only gets worse once you start working-- she said that social workers who are in it for the wrong reasons make the job hell and impossible to work in and help people. She said it's the same with HR-- the nuts in HR help protect the fruitloops on the floor.

(I have been pulled into grant writing for an place that helps people with audiology and medical issues. I'm not out of social work or medicine by any stretch!)