A Connecticut licensing panel reviewed testimony in which a nurse’s application and transcripts were questioned amid allegations that documents from Ideal Professional Institute (also referred to in the record as Bridal Professional Institute) were fabricated.

State counsel walked the witness through Department exhibit 3 and highlighted paragraph 18 and the program delivery section, which indicate the Bridal/Ideal program was not approved to provide online clinical instruction. The witness acknowledged the exhibit showed the program delivery marked “campus” but repeatedly stated she took one adult nursing course entirely online and submitted work through Canvas.

The hearing record includes an affidavit attributed to Joel Lubin asserting that residents who received associate of science in nursing diplomas from Bridal did not complete required clinical hours for those residing outside Florida; the witness responded in the record, “He lied to you.”

The panel questioned inconsistencies in dates and transcripts submitted with the witness’s Connecticut license application. The application and an accompanying transcript listed attendance at Bridal/Ideal from Aug. 5, 2016 to Dec. 4, 2017; the witness said those dates were incorrect and that she attended Saint Vincent’s College from 2016 to 2018 and later took a course with Ideal in 2018. She acknowledged the transcripts and application she supplied to the department contained inaccurate information.

The hearing also reviewed credit totals. The witness said she had about 74 credits from Saint Vincent’s and the adult nursing course at issue was a 3-credit class, which would total about 77 credits; the program outline for Bridal listed 99 credits required for the degree. Counsel and the hearing officer pressed on how the degree requirement was not met based on submitted records.

On direct examination by defense counsel Attorney Wallace, the witness said she learned about Ideal from a former coworker, contacted Joel Lubin, sent him her Saint Vincent’s transcripts, paid tuition (she said she found receipts for roughly $7,000), and was told she needed only one course to finish. She described receiving notes and tests via Canvas, completing and submitting exams electronically, and believing credits from Saint Vincent’s and Lincoln Tech would transfer.

The witness said she later obtained a bachelor’s degree from Chamberlain University (graduated December 2023) and has worked as a nurse since Nov. 1, 2020. She testified the situation has caused emotional and financial distress, saying, “That situation is ruining my life right now.” She also said she did not know Bridal had fabricated documents until the state contacted her.

At the close of the public testimony, the presiding officer asked staff to move the hearing into executive session and participants began to leave the public record.

Next steps: the panel moved to executive session to discuss matters off the public record; no formal vote or public ruling was recorded on the record provided here.