Pittsburgh area wasn't woman's 1st foray in being an 'impostor nurse,' authorities say

It appeared not many authorities in Pennsylvania knew Shannon Nicole Womack was bouncing from nursing home job to nursing home job over the past year, despite allegedly lacking the professional license to do so.

In fact, it wasn’t until an April traffic stop that Womack, 39, of Pittsburgh was found to have at least 10 aliases and seven Social Security numbers associated to her, as she secured nursing positions through staffing agencies, submitting fraudulently signed documents and creating a false LLC to self-deploy herself to multiple jobs, police say.

But officials in Georgia had her number all along.

Georgia’s nursing board started receiving complaints about Womack, leading to her placement on the state’s “impostor list” in October 2022, said Robert Sinners, spokesman for Georgia’s secretary of state.

The Georgia board investigated allegations of unlicensed practice by Womack and discovered she is not licensed as a registered or practical nurse in that state and has not applied for licensure. The “impostor list,” posted publicly on the secretary of state’s website, monitors people claiming the title of “nurse” who lack those credentials, Sinners said.

Criteria that places someone on the “impostor list,” according to Sinners, include:

• Employment applications or resumes claiming to have a nursing license

• Email signatures with a nursing title (RN, LPN, APRN)

• Social media posts claiming to be a nurse

• Witness statements from employers, co-workers or patients who worked with the individual, believing they were a licensed nurse

• Job descriptions and employment records showing the individual was hired into a nursing role

“Once the board conducted their investigation, they realized (Womack) had impersonated other nurses as well,” Sinners said. “The AG issued a cease-and-desist order but could not locate her. One of our affiliates in (Pennsylvania) identified her and worked with law enforcement to bring her into custody.

“Bottom line: The nursing board took the complaints seriously (and) worked to hold her accountable. She fled and was brought to justice.”

Pennsylvania troopers say that, when they pulled Womack over, they found prescription medications prescribed to different people, medical documents and various pieces of medical equipment.

In Pennsylvania, Womack worked at nine nursing homes from October to April, authorities say, with her employment at each facility ending with her being placed on a “Do Not Retain” list for professional misconduct. Those facilities either declined to comment or couldn’t be reached for comment.

As investigators continue to compile related information, state police are asking the public to call 724-223-5200 to report information about Womack working under her aliases.

Health care agencies statewide are encouraged by police to review their employment records.

Authorities also learned Womack had active arrest warrants from Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana and New Jersey. New Jersey court records indicate Womack was charged Jan. 3 with second-degree health care fraud-intentional fraud by non-practitioner, and identity crime-impersonation. Reports indicate similar charges in Tennessee and Indiana.

The Pennsylvania Department of State couldn’t confirm or deny whether there have been complaints or investigations into Womack because of confidentiality statutes, spokeswoman Amy Gulli said.

“Speaking generally, the department reviews every potential practice act violation of which it becomes aware, whether that is through a complaint filed directly to the department, a notification from local law enforcement or through media reports,” Gulli said.

People can file complaints on the Department of State’s website. If the investigation warrants formal action, the associated documents are posted on the licensing database, Gulli said.

Licensure requirements for registered nurses are outlined on the agency’s website, Gulli said. License status can be verified through a search on the PA Licensing System database.

“Unlicensed persons, however, do not appear in the database,” she said.

Asked if Pennsylvania would consider implementing an impostor list like Georgia’s, Gulli would only say: “The Shapiro administration is dedicated to safeguarding the health and safety of the public, and we are open to any conversations on ways to protect the citizens of the commonwealth.”

The Department of Health and the Attorney General’s Office also declined to comment on Womack’s case.

Attorney Robert Peirce III is representing a family in a wrongful death lawsuit relating to nursing homes that employed Heather Pressdee of Harrison. Pressdee worked at 11 local nursing facilities since 2018 despite a pattern of being fired for patient mistreatment. Last year, she pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and 19 counts of attempted murder.

Peirce said Womack’s case demonstrates flaws within the health care system. He is concerned with the lack of oversight to prevent people who pose as nurses.

“Unfortunately, I believe the industry is so understaffed and so underfunded that employees come and go all too frequently without proper oversight. Until we decide to, as a society, to truly focus on the elderly or our population at risk, these problems will continue in the future,” Peirce said.