A 30-year-old woman who allegedly lied about having medical training and pretended to be a nurse at a Florida clinic now faces felony charges, police said.
For over a year, Kristina Balen worked as a Registered Nure at the Sarasota Arthritis Center, administering flu shots and medication, WFLA reported. Her alleged rouse was exposed in February when another employee noticed $1,800 worth of medication was missing and sparked an internal investigation.
"It's very scary, it's very bold," Sarasota Police Department spokeswoman Genevieve Judge told the station.
Balen was arrested last Friday and charged with felony unlicensed practice of health care professional and felony criminal use of personal identification information, WTSP reported.
Balen has no college degree and is not a licensed RN, police said. She allegedly admitted to lying to her employers at the arthritis clinic, where her duties included entering medical data into a computer, administering flu vaccines and arthritis medication, the station reported.
"Her goal was she wanted to be a registered nurse, and that when she found out people would believe it, she just went with it," Judge told WFLA.
Investigators are now questioning the clinic managers who hired Balen. The accused imposter faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. No one has been charged in connection to the stolen medication.
When asked about the accusations, Balen told WFLA there was a mix up of license paperwork but would not clarify.
The incident comes after a teenager was caught pretending to be a doctor at a Florida hospital, fooling security guards and hospital staff for a month. Cops in that case did not charge the boy, who was reportedly under a doctor's care for an undiagnosed mental condition.
