Health care practitioners among those caught buying diplomas

I believe it is prudent for the world to know about a lack of poor judgment affecting decisions possibly associated with public safety at the KEWAUNEE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, KEWAUNEE, WI. Two months ago, various online blogs, picked up by the Journal Sentinel Online, Milwaukee, WI, reported a story regarding the purchasing of degrees from a diploma mill in Spokane, WA. There was much speculation and distortion within these blogs and within the subsequent articles. The complete information was never reported factually and thus resulted in public outcry and negative press for the corporation and industry associated with the story, not to mention the individual involved. It is my belief that solely because of this poor publicity, the corporation's hand was forced into termination of employment of a 19-year veteran in the industry (19 years in that very plant), with a safe operating history; a man that, while showing severe naïveté in trying to get something for just a bit more than nothing, never put the public's safety at risk. But, what was he trying to get for only a bit more than nothing? The degrees were not used to deceive his employers to get a job or keep his position. The nuclear industry has its own intensive testing for those purposes. Instead, the "degrees" were a way for him to get recognition of the expertise he has gained after 19 years in the industry in addition to the six years spent serving our country's Navy in the same field of study. 25 years in nuclear power. 25 years of safe operation. 25 years of experience completely dismissed by the press, the bloggers, the corporation. Simply put, the purchased "degrees" did not in any way affect whether this man was qualified to do his job, nor did it affect the way he performed on the job. Yet, due to prosecution by the media and bloggers, he will never be in that industry again. Where the real criminals only get 3 years, this man has been convicted for the rest of his life!

On the other hand of this corporation that threw away such experience and performance, however, is a nuclear reactor operator, also in charge of making decisions and taking actions that can put the public's safety at risk; a nuclear reactor operator who, four hours after the beginning of his shift, had a blood alcohol level of 0.056, more than half the legal limit for driving. Now, consider that this man had already been on the job for four hours, had driven into work that morning, all with an elevated blood alcohol level. How high was it when he drove in to work? We know what a vehicle can do in the hands of someone under the influence. Imagine the potential of a nuclear power plant driven by an operator under the influence. Yet this man, who has a history of alcohol abuse shown by his two previous DUI's still is employed as an operator at the plant, still is allowed to enter the control room and still is in a position that affects public safety. Granted, his "operator's license" was revoked as a disciplinary measure, but he is still in the plant, monitoring vital measurements, taking actions based on these measurements; measurements which I'm not convinced are not still blurry from the night before, and actions which may or may not be justified.

Are the choices being made at Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant in the best interest of the surrounding communities or are they in the best interest of the corporation's reputation? I wonder, if the stories were reversed in the media, who would be employed and who would be out the door.

berns, thanks for your insight on the incidents at the Kewaunee plant. If the man who was terminated didn't need the degrees to get or keep his job, why did he take the huge risk of getting them? Was it maybe to bump him into a higher pay range?

Some otherwise talented people have no doubt had their careers destroyed by the revelations about the diploma mills.

But suppose you found out the doctor you had relied on for decades to deliver your children, treat your sciatica and refer your son to an oncologist had bought his or her degrees from a diploma mill. Would you lose some confidence in that doctor's abilities to handle your health needs in the future? Would you feel there was a betrayal of your trust?

An advanced degree doesn't tell the whole story but oftentimes it demonstrates you have accumulated the tool chest required to handle the demands of your job.

Is it ever ok to let someone who took a gamble and lied about their credentials get a pass and keep their job? Personally, I don't think so. If it were permissable, why shouldn't everyone do it?