Florida woman arrested for treating thousands of patients while posing as qualified nurse

Police in the US state of Florida have arrested a woman on suspicion of seeing more than 4,000 patients while illegally posing as a registered nurse.

Autumn Bardisa, 29, was detained on Tuesday at her Palm Coast home following a seven-month investigation run by state and federal agencies, according to a statement released by Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

Bardisa, who is believed to have helped to treat thousands of patients without holding a valid nursing licence, is currently being held on a $70,000 (€60,046) bond, it added.

She worked at AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway from July 2023 until January 2025, when the hospital dismissed her over concerns about her qualifications.

Between June 2024 and her dismissal, she was involved in caring for 4,486 people, investigators found.

Before she was hired, Bardisa had provided the hospital with a nursing licence number that matched her first name but not her last name.

When questions were raised about the issue, the Florida resident claimed that she had recently married and changed her surname.

However, Bardisa never provided her marriage licence to the hospital as requested.

This detail was revealed in January thanks to one of her colleagues, who, after Bardisa was offered a promotion, reported that her certified nursing assistant licence had expired.

“This is one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we’ve ever investigated,” said Rick Staly, the sheriff of Flagler County, who described her actions as “reckless and dangerous”.

“This woman potentially put thousands of lives at risk by pretending to be someone she was not and violating the trust of patients, their families, AdventHealth and an entire medical community,” he noted.

The sheriff’s office has set up an email address for people to message if they think they may be one of Bardisa’s victims.