Shelbyville nurse charged after treating patients for 15 years without a license

Shelbyville, Tenn. (WTVF) – A Shelbyville nurse has been charged after treating thousands of patients without a license.

Shelbyville police received a tip regarding 49-year-old Bobby Gail Blair, who worked at the in-house medical clinic at a Tyson Foods plant.

Detective Nathan Everhart found that Blair graduated from the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in McMinnville in 2007. However, records from the Tennessee Board of Nursing revealed that Blair failed the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) twice in 2007. He never took the exam again.

Detective Everhart also said that Blair was using a fake license from Tennessee along with two legitimate LPNs, but it is unclear who forged the document. Everhart was able to get in touch with one of the nurses, who said she did not know Blair or anyone else in Shelbyville.

“It’s just something that slipped through the cracks,” Detective Everhart said. “I don’t think anybody there knew he didn’t have a license. They just assumed he had one.”

Blair has worked at the clinic since 2007, and Detective Everhart estimates that he has treated approximately 15,000 patients during that time. Blair is also the wife of the plant manager.

The medical clinic at the plant is staffed by five nurses, who treat workers injured on the job. Injuries can range from minor cuts and wound care to severed body parts.

An anonymous member of the team at Tyson Foods released a statement saying, “It enrages and sickens me that someone would impersonate a nurse or any other medical professional. He used our licensed professional medical judgment out of the utmost care.” And underhanded and underhanded actions. To our team members and patients. Not only has he done this to us, but to Tyson Corporation as well.”

Blair has been charged with 10 counts of impersonation of a medical professional and two counts of identity theft. He was arrested Friday and released on $10,000 bond.

A spokesperson for Tyson Foods released a statement saying: “We take this issue very seriously. While we do not comment on active criminal cases, we cooperated fully with law enforcement as soon as contacted.”