A shocking case of medical fraud has surfaced in Florida as a 29-year-old woman, Autumn Bardisa, was arrested for impersonating a licensed nurse and illegally treating over 4,000 patients at a major hospital.
Authorities say Bardisa secured employment at AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway Hospital, where she worked from July 2023 until January 2025. Though initially hired as an advanced nurse technician, she falsely presented herself as a licensed nurse and was involved in the care of approximately 4,486 patients over an 18-month period.
During the hiring process, Bardisa submitted a nursing license number that appeared valid at first glance. However, it was later discovered that the license actually belonged to another nurse with the same first name. When asked why her last name differed from that on the license, she claimed she had recently married and promised to provide a marriage certificate. She never followed through with that documentation.
Despite never having passed a nursing board exam or holding a legitimate license, Bardisa was permitted to perform medical duties, some of which involved direct patient care. Her deception went unnoticed for nearly two years until she was considered for a promotion.
It was at that point that a colleague decided to verify her credentials. A license check revealed that the number she had been using had long expired, leading to an internal audit. This ultimately resulted in her termination on January 22, 2025.
On August 5, Bardisa was arrested at her home in Flagler County. Authorities reported that she was still wearing hospital scrubs at the time of her arrest. She now faces seven felony counts of practicing a healthcare profession without a license and an additional seven counts of identity theft related to the unauthorized use of another nurse's license information.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly described the case as one of the most alarming instances of medical fraud his office has encountered. He emphasized the serious risks posed to public health by individuals who pretend to be qualified medical professionals.
Bardisa’s arraignment has been scheduled for September 2, and legal proceedings are expected to follow swiftly due to the severity of the charges.
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Police in Flagler County, #Florida say they arrested an alleged “fake nurse” who treated more than 4,000 patients, despite not having proper qualifications. Autumn Bardisa was arrested – while wearing scrubs– and has been charged with seven counts of practicing a health care profession without a license and seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information. She worked at AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway in #PalmCoast and when she was offered a promotion, a colleague noticed her #nursing assistant licensee had expired. “This is one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we’ve ever investigated,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. #nurse
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