A South Australian woman has become the first Australian sent to jail for pretending to be a registered health practitioner.
Alison Jane Mibus was sentenced to four months and 28 days imprisonment in the South Australian Magistrates’ Court, after pleading guilty to six charges relating to claiming to be a registered nurse.
Mibus had never been registered as a nurse, but falsely claimed to be one in order to secure a job as a practice manager at a medical clinic in January 2019. She continued to purport to be a nurse during her employment, even administering vaccinations to a colleague and his parents.
Mibus’ deception was only discovered after she resigned from her position and her employer reported their concerns to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).
This is the second time Mibus has been prosecuted by Ahpra for claiming to be a registered nurse. In February 2020, she was fined $10,500 for similar offending.
Magistrate Brett Dixon said that Mibus’ offending had to be viewed seriously for the protection and safety of the community. He noted that she had continued to hold herself out as a nurse despite being previously convicted for the same offence.
“The severity of these penalties is intended to deter people from holding out as health practitioners and performing procedures when they have no such qualifications,” Magistrate Dixon said.
“Given the seriousness of the offending and the potential risk to the community, the only appropriate penalty is imprisonment.”
Mibus’ term of imprisonment was reduced from seven months to four months and 28 days after she pleaded guilty. She was ordered to be released after serving one month, and to pay Ahpra’s legal costs in the sum of $1,628.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Chair Adjunct Professor Veronica Casey AM noted the significance of this outcome.
“Being able to call yourself a nurse in Australia means something, and for someone to knowingly represent themselves as one to secure a job not only discredits the hard work and commitment of the profession, but is a criminal offence,” she said.
“Employers are also reminded to ensure their employees are registered when they say they are and are not misleading patients, colleagues or authorities. It is putting the public at risk of harm.”