B.C.'s nursing regulator is warning the public about a woman it alleges is posing as a registered nurse in order to get work, including caring for a "medically fragile" child in Vancouver.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the College of Nursing Professionals said Madison Zarazun has responded to at least one online ad for an in-home caregiver and told the prospective employer she was a registered nurse.
"This person is not a registered nurse," said BCCNP CEO Cynthia Johansen. "When you get services, care provided to you by a registered nurse, it means that they've met qualifications and standards. This individual has not met those standards. She cannot use that title. She cannot provide care as a registered nurse."
The college said Zarazun may have taken on other, private care work by pretending to be a registered nurse.
"In particular, BCCNP is in receipt of information that suggests that she may be working with a medically fragile child in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver, accompanying the child to school," the release read.
"This notice is to advise the public that Madison Zarazun is not a current registrant of BCCNP and she is not authorized to practise as a registered nurse in British Columbia."
It is unclear if Zarazun is using her real name.
The college is encouraging prospective employers to check the public registry to make sure the person they are considering hiring has the right credentials.
Johansen said these kinds of situations are rare, but that the college is seeing an increase in reports about these kinds of incidents.
"When an individual doesn’t meet those standards, they can harm people.” Johansen said. “They can cause harm, and our job as a regulator is to stop harm from happening."
