Aug 8, 2009 2:57 am US/Eastern
Nurse Betty, Literally: Fake RN Busted In Conn.
Woman Even Made Up Organization That She Said Named Her 'Nurse Of The Year'
Investigators Discover She Wasn't Even Registered
NORWALK, Conn. (CBS) ―
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Working for a doctor at a Norwalk medical office, "nurse" Betty Lichtenstein gave patients shots and medical advice. She called herself an RN but in this case it stood for "really not."
CBS
Working for a doctor at a Norwalk medical office, "nurse" Betty Lichtenstein gave patients shots and medical advice. She called herself an RN but in this case it stood for "really not."
"My sister's a nurse and my neighbor's a nurse. I think it's disgusting behavior. It's horrible," said neighbor Cheryl McGoldrick.
Lichtenstein's neighbors reacted with shock and surprise at the news of her arrest. The 56-year-old was busted for illegal use of the title "registered nurse," criminal impersonation and reckless endangerment.
"A wonderful woman, as far as I'm concerned. A churchgoer, I know she's a regular churchgoer," said neighbor Tom Trombotto.
Dr. Gerald Weiss hired Lichtenstein and apparently believed her when she claimed to be an RN. He didn't want to talk to CBS 2HD but he told investigators he even spoke at a banquet last fall at the Norwalk Inn when something called the "Connecticut Nursing Association" honored Lichtenstein with an award for 2008 Nurse of the Year.
It turned out there was no "Connecticut Nursing Association." Nurse Betty made it all up.
She paid for the banquet herself, and even had the bill sent to Dr. Weiss's office.
A minute on the State of Connecticut Licensing web site would have told Dr. Weiss that Betty was not a nurse.
"I think he was lazy, he was irresponsible, he has a responsibility to his patients to offer them the best care available, and he didn't do that," said Norwalk resident Fred Fishman.
Nurse Betty was busted when a patient complained she botched an injection, causing him tremendous pain.
Now the fake nurse faces real jail time, up to five years if convicted.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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