Thousands of nursing students caught cheating their way through their studies in the last 3 years

Despite findings having 'worrying implications for public health', one affected university says employers and patients 'can have confidence our graduates obtained their qualifications honestly'

A Times investigation has found over 1,700 nursing students have plagiarised their way through training since 2013 (Getty Images)

Thousands of nursing students have been caught cheating their way through their studies, something which has “worrying implications for public health,” according to an investigation.

The Times has obtained figures from over 60 British universities via Freedom of Information requests to find more than 1,700 nursing students have been caught cheating over the last three years.

The most common plagiarism method being undertaken is the use of bespoke essay writing websites, one of which offered to produce a first-class nursing essay on “national and international health policies” for £195 for a Times reporter posing as a student.

The site also adds that, while many of the sites seem to be based in the UK, they are being run out of Pakistan by companies “controlling dozens of ‘essay mill’ websites.”

The data has shown almost 300 nursing students were caught cheating between 2010 and 2013 at Edinburgh Napier University.

An Edinburgh Napier spokesperson told the Independent the university had more nursing students than any other provider in Scotland, adding: “We take incidents of plagiarism seriously, and strive to educate all our students about how to avoid it from first year onwards.

“Often, plagiarism owes much more to naivety than dishonesty, and so we focus on educating students on good practice in their written work, particularly around highlighting citations and references correctly.

“The university also uses Turnitin software to detect more elaborate cases of plagiarism, as well as using dedicated academic conduct officers to handle cases in each of our schools. That vigilance has led to higher plagiarism detection rates and allowed us to intervene early, so students don’t go on to make the same mistakes later in their studies.”

The Times’ figures have also shown almost half of all students caught cheating at Dundee University, around 155, between 2010 and 2013 were nurses, while 126 were caught at Brighton University.

Dundee University told the Independent instances of plagiarism can arise because of “poor academic practice or naivety,” in the instances of not referencing properly as opposed to “malicious intent,” and explained how 123 assignments were considered over a three-year period in which 17 were found to have no case to answer. The action taken in each instance depended on the severity of the offence and, in a further 15 instances, the original grade remained.

Professor Margaret Smith, dean of the school of nursing and health sciences at the institution, said: “Our anti-plagiarism measures are among the most robust of any UK university, reflecting the seriousness with which we view this issue.

“All our students are aware that plagiarism is professional misconduct and every piece of coursework is processed through plagiarism-detection software. Penalties apply to students where academic dishonesty is detected, but, often, plagiarism results from naivety and we provide advice and support on how to avoid it.

“Assessments are designed in such a way that ‘essay mill’ products are unlikely to be any benefit and, as a result, employers and patients can have confidence our graduates obtained their qualifications honestly.”

Brighton University said the numbers “are very small” in comparison to the overall number of its nursing students. A spokesperson added: “That being said, we take all such cases seriously. It’s important to stress Academic Misconduct Reports refer mainly to poor academic practice, where a student has forgotten to reference a source or has done so incorrectly, rather than cheating. Half of these cases concern students in their first year and we pick up on these problems to ensure they do not repeat the mistakes.

“The instances of such cheating at this university are few and far between, and our experience shows the vast majority of students are focused on benefitting as much as possible from their courses.”

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the professional regulatory body for nurses and midwives in the UK, says its role is to “protect patients and the public through efficient and effective regulation.” However, it does not look into cheating cases because those caught plagiarising are immune from being investigated while they are unqualified.

A NMC spokesperson, though, said in a statement that “there is no place for cheats in nursing or midwifery,” and added: “It is the responsibility of academic institutions to ensure individuals have legitimately passed all parts of their course before they are awarded a qualification and can apply for registration.

“In addition to the rigorous registration processes we have in place to check everyone who joins the register is fit to practise safely in the UK, academic institutions must have systems in place to identify and swiftly address concerns about the conduct of any nursing or midwifery student, including cheating and plagiarism.”

The revelation has come in the same week BBC Wales Today revealed plagiarism to be rife among universities in Wales, with cases having risen considerably since 2010.

One of the institutions, Swansea University, investigated some 175 cases of cheating last year, compared to around 60 in the 2010/11 academic year. Professor Mary Paget, director of student experience at the university, told the Independent that, although the university has seen a rise in the numbers of cases of plagiarism in the last few years, this can be directly attributed to the rise in student numbers and the more widespread use of plagiarism detection technology, such as Turnitin.

She did, however, say cracking down on the use of bespoke essay writing sites is “proving more difficult to tackle,” but added: “Even so, a number of cases are detected and processed every year. The penalties - where an allegation is upheld - can be severe, up to and including disqualification from the university. Staff are vigilant to the issues and where there are concerns about the authenticity of the student’s work, staff will double check the assessment whilst marking.

“The university’s learning and teaching committee is actively working to enhance still further its arrangements to promote academic integrity, and the university is proactive within the higher education sector at large in identifying and promoting best practice.”