BERLIN — A German court has sentenced a man who falsely claimed to be a doctor and treated patients on a cruise ship to three years in prison.

News agency dpa reported that the Berlin state court on Monday convicted the qualified nurse of bodily harm, fraud, abuse of titles and deprivation of liberty. The latter charge referred to the fact that he put 41 patients under anesthetic.

The court found that the 41-year-old defendant claimed to be a doctor for five years starting in 2010, using a forged medical license, to enhance his status and because doctors earn more money.

At one point, he worked for 10 months on a cruise ship. The court found that no patients were hurt but he wouldn’t have been able to handle any medical complications.