Fayetteville medical school shut down for offering faulty classes
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- A medical school that charged students hundreds of dollars for unlicensed, unaccredited courses and put them to work without proper training has been ordered to stop operating, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced Friday.
"Students seeking training to upgrade their job skills deserve to get what they pay for, and patients deserve care from properly trained employees," Cooper said in a statement. "If you notice a career school taking advantage of students, my office wants to hear about it."
On Thursday, a Wake County superior court judge granted Cooper's request to temporarily bar the North Carolina Medical Institute and its owner, Sherita McQueen, from advertising, offering, or accepting payment for any educational products or services in the state.
Cooper is seeking to permanently ban the NC Medical Institute's misleading business practices and refunds for students.
According to Cooper's complaint, the NC Medical Institute potentially endangered medical patients by certifying some students as qualified nursing aides after they completed far less training than required by law.
The complaint also stated that McQueen allegedly used a former employee's nursing license and Social Security number to enter 50 unqualified Nursing Aide II students into the State Board of Nursing's electronic registry, permitting them to get jobs.
The North Carolina State Board of Proprietary Schools and the North Carolina State Board of Nursing refused to renew NC Medical Institute's license in May after finding that the school advertised and enrolled students in unlicensed courses, employed unapproved teaching instructors, and presented misleading information to the State Board of Community Colleges.
After losing required licenses, officials said McQueen misled prospective students by telling them that the courses offered by her school were accredited.
NC Medical Institute continued to charge fees as high as $800 per course for unlicensed medical training programs, including pharmacy technician, medical assistant, and first aid courses. After completing the classes, students often found themselves unprepared or ineligible for jobs in their fields of study, according to the N.C. Department of Justice.
NC Medical Institute is also accused of using unlawful practices while licensed. According to an affidavit filed by a North Carolina Board of Nursing employee, the school continued to offer a Nursing Aide II program despite repeatedly failing to meet state requirements.
