Minnesota EMT Nicholas A. Cochran faced a disciplinary action from the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board (EMSRB) after admitting he had falsified patient signatures on patient care reports. The Board issued a formal reprimand and a stayed suspension of his certification in June 2024. He completed the required conditions quickly, and his certification was restored to good standing on August 9, 2024.1Minnesota Office of EMS. Public Disciplinary Actions, Nicholas Cochran
What Cochran Admitted To
On August 3, 2022, Cochran’s employer filed a mandatory report with the EMSRB stating he had resigned in lieu of termination. The report said he had admitted to falsifying at least two patient signatures on patient care reports and had suggested a coworker do the same.2Minnesota Office of EMS. Stipulation and Consent Order, Nicholas A. Cochran Minnesota law requires EMS employers to report resignations or dismissals that occur before a disciplinary process concludes when the employer has knowledge of conduct that may warrant regulatory action.3Minnesota Office of EMS. Mandatory Reporting Obligations
No criminal charges were filed. The matter was handled entirely through the state’s regulatory process.2Minnesota Office of EMS. Stipulation and Consent Order, Nicholas A. Cochran
The Statutes the Board Cited
The EMSRB found that Cochran’s conduct violated two provisions of Minnesota Statutes section 144E.28, subdivision 5(a): clause (5), covering unethical conduct “likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public,” and clause (8), covering unprofessional conduct that departs from minimum standards of acceptable practice.4Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes Section 144E.28
The June 2024 Order and Stayed Suspension
Cochran and the Board resolved the case through a Stipulation and Consent Order effective June 15, 2024. The order formally reprimanded him and imposed a stayed suspension on EMT certification No. 1012600.2Minnesota Office of EMS. Stipulation and Consent Order, Nicholas A. Cochran Under Minnesota’s EMS framework, a stayed suspension lets a provider keep practicing while meeting the agreement’s terms. Violating those terms can trigger the full suspension.5Minnesota Office of EMS. Understanding Public Actions
Conditions He Had to Meet
The order set out several requirements:
- Complete Board-preapproved courses in ethics and documentation within six months, at his own expense.
- Submit a typewritten reflection of at least five pages within one month of finishing the coursework, addressing the falsification and how he would apply the training going forward.
- Refrain from training or supervising any EMS employees while the order was in effect.
- Arrange for his medical director or supervisor to send the Board quarterly reports on his attendance, reliability, performance, and compliance if he was working in an EMS setting.
- Notify all current and future EMS supervisors of the order within ten days.
He also had to keep the Board updated on his address, phone number, and any EMS employment or volunteer work, and to disclose any out-of-state certifications if he relocated.2Minnesota Office of EMS. Stipulation and Consent Order, Nicholas A. Cochran
How the Case Closed
Public records show Cochran completed the terms well ahead of schedule. The order allowed him to petition for removal of the stayed suspension after 12 months, but his certification was updated to “Good Standing” on August 9, 2024, less than two months after the order took effect.1Minnesota Office of EMS. Public Disciplinary Actions, Nicholas Cochran His EMT certification, first issued December 10, 2020, was scheduled to expire March 31, 2025. The public record does not confirm whether he renewed it after that date.2Minnesota Office of EMS. Stipulation and Consent Order, Nicholas A. Cochran
Where This Outcome Falls
Falsifying patient records is treated as one of the most serious offenses in EMS. One industry publication has called it a “deadly sin” that can lead to termination, loss of medical oversight, certification revocation, civil suits, and criminal prosecution. In Worcester, Massachusetts, paramedics who falsified a report to conceal a transport violation faced criminal charges, and the related litigation ended in a $1 million settlement; in New York, FDNY paramedics were charged with felonies over false reports about withheld resuscitation.6JEMS. Falsification of Records: A Deadly Sin
Cochran’s outcome, a reprimand and stayed suspension with no interruption to his ability to practice, sat on the less severe end of that range. Minnesota’s Office of EMS has said it often works with providers through stipulation and consent orders to establish compliance while allowing continued practice under set conditions.5Minnesota Office of EMS. Understanding Public Actions