http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story....4&nav=168XNGkc

Dr. Fake: Making Up Your Resume
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(May 19) -- Whether it's ego or just the ambition of a better job, fake degrees and diplomas have become more popular. A high profile case involving a fake medical degree is about to go to trial here in July.

"Before I went to medical school, I passed the bar in California, practiced law for one year then decided, why not try my hand at pediatrics," says Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie portraying the most well known case of misrepresenting oneself.

Frank Abagnale Jr. is the man who served as the model in Catch Me If You Can. A similar case recently played out in Henderson, where the Attorney General's office says a man posing as a doctor at a medical office on Gibson Road, handed out medical advice. But Andrew Elias Michael didn't stop there. Nevada Chief Deputy Attorney General Gerald Gardner said, "This is a man who not only claims to be a doctor, but also a lawyer, a fighter, jet pilot -- and an MBA."

Michael has been indicted for practicing medicine without a license. After the indictment, he resurfaced in Kentucky, where he was actually making rounds in a hospital, portraying himself as a fourth-year medical student.

Gardner says Andrew Michael did what a lot of people do. He applied for a fake degree from a foreign medical school, in this case, St. Luke's Medical School in Liberia, Africa. But investigators traced the headquarters of the school to a rundown apartment in Los Angeles, with a makeshift sign on the door.

Michael isn't the only person in Southern Nevada who's used a fake degree. It happened at the Community College. A man applying for a professor's position said he was a Ph.D. That degree, which he didn't have, bumped his salary $20,000.

"So when they discovered that, they passed it onto us and he was prosecuted for false claims of being a Ph. D," said Gardner. He also says there are steps you can take, when the degree hanging on the wall, doesn't sound familiar, "Probably the best way to do it is to call the board that licenses that profession. Examiners will tell you if an individual is really licensed in the State of Nevada to practice medicine."

So if you see a degree that you don't recognize, state boards and examiners have the names. But be careful when doing research online. It's the breeding ground for many of the fake diploma and award mills. One such place called Degrees R Us, operated out of Las Vegas until it was recently shut down.

The Nevada Legislature recently passed a law barring the use of misleading educational credentials. But Gardner says it happens, with perpetrators commonly daring law enforcement to Catch Me If You Can .

Investigators nationwide say they expect to see more fake degrees thanks in part to the federal No Child Left Behind Act. That legislation has put has put a higher premium on advanced degrees for teachers. Recently, 11 teachers in Georgia were found to have falsified their resumes to get more money.

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Still skeptical after all these years.
This is it. There are no hidden meanings.WYSIWYG

http://www.internetmedicalschool.homestead.com

http://www.chiropractormds.homestead.com/index.html

Something to be aware of...

What a load of crap. I've got an advanced degree in education, and No Child Left Behind does not guarantee anybody any extra money. That's the problem with that law....it's not funded at all. *&^%$ journalists.

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Sensationalism = ratings. That, and I happen to be a big fan of Rudi, Erica, Robin, and Sophia on CNN .

Aloha,

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Pathology
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Absolutely true! Look at the NRMP Match statistics, for example. 46% of QUALIFIED foreign medical graduates, including US citizens, didn't match this year. They have their credentials verified by ECFMG, in addition to having passed USMLE Step 1 and Step 2. Who cares about these degrees, whether it comes to M.D. or Ph.D. degree?

Andrew Michael has never received a degree of any kind from St. Luke School of Medicine.

The U.S. Information office of St. Luke School of Medicine is located in Inglewood, California, not Los Angeles. It occupies the entire 2nd floor of a modern three story commercial building.

Students cannot buy degrees from St. Luke School of Medicine. A student coming to St. Luke must complete 102 examinations successfully, each one must be passed, and more than 20 quizzes and approximately 400 hours of laboratory study, before they are allowed to take their Basic Science Comprehensive Examinations, three parts, each more than 100 questions.

They, then, complete their clinical science orientation, and after receiving their basic science completion certificate, they are allowed to move into clinical rotations or take the USMLE Part 1 examination.

Our students are required to complete 3rd and 4th year core rotations and electives, then they must complete their 3rd and 4th year clinical examinations, and finally, they must pass the clinical science comprehensive examination, now 3 parts, each 150 questions.

We take our education seriously. This is why our students were the top scorers in the recent Ghanaian and Nigerian medical licensing examinations.

Furthermore, any student that misleads or provides false documentation to St. Luke School of Medicine will be expelled. Any student violating the law, convicted of any felony, or misdemeanors which demean their character, will be suspended or expelled.

If you are looking for a short-cut to an M.D. degree, do not apply to St. Luke School of Medicine. Please, go to somewhere else. You are not wanted here. We want good dedicated hard-working students.

As you have noticed, St. Luke does not advertise, nor present itself on these forums. This is because, in many cases such as this, it is a place where people, anonymously, are allowed to slander, without proof or evidence, such as this.

Nonetheless, we will continue to serve our student population and continue to provide service to the communities and nations we serve.
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How's the civil war in Liberia affecting the education?

Good to see you here.

Tell us about your staff's educations. i noticed that at:

http://www.stluke.edu/faculty.html

Dr. Arnett has an MD degree from your school. My memory is that your board was all awarded MD's by the college.

Many of you,including yourself, list a naturopathic degree from Southern Graduate Institute Tell us about that facility? It isn't a degree that can be licensed in any state that licenses ND's. Are any of your staff,including yourself licensed? Many Spartan graduates...how do you find the quality of their training being transferred over to your students? Is your school internet based or do you have some students in residence?

Assume you or your staff were arranging the young man's clinicals that got arrested. What happened? Was he a student or not?

any of your grads get licensed anywhere in the US yet?

az skeptic

__________________
Moderator - State Licensing Forum

Still skeptical after all these years.
This is it. There are no hidden meanings.WYSIWYG

http://www.internetmedicalschool.homestead.com

http://www.chiropractormds.homestead.com/index.html

uhhh....inglewood is in LA...maybe not city limits, but anyone from cali would consider that in LA.

example...."where do you live"...."i live in LA, inglewood"

Dr. D

I understand your campus in Pune (India) is providing Basic Science to students. However in order to license in the US a student has to stay for two years and do the basic science in the country where the Medical school is chartered/country listed in the WHO.

Your Pune campus is not listed in WHO and since it is located outside the country of charter, will the licencing authorities accept the MD degree issued to students who have studied in Pune.