Fake Nurse Exposed After Treating 4,000 Patients in Shocking Florida Hospital Scam

“This is one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we’ve ever investigated.”

PALM COAST, FL — A Florida hospital is reeling after discovering that a 29-year-old woman posed as a registered nurse for nearly two years, treating thousands of patients under false pretenses. Authorities say the woman — who wore scrubs, carried a stolen license number, and even landed a promotion — fooled her way into treating more than 4,400 patients before being caught.

Autumn Bardisa was arrested Tuesday in what Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly is calling “a calculated and dangerous act of deception.” She now faces 14 felony charges — including seven counts of practicing a health care profession without a license and seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification.

“This woman potentially put thousands of lives at risk by pretending to be someone she was not,” said Sheriff Staly. “She violated every standard of trust and safety expected in the medical field.”

A Lie Woven in Scrubs

According to investigators, Bardisa began working at AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway in July 2023. She applied for a role as an advanced nurse technician and claimed she was awaiting licensure after completing her nursing education. She later told hospital administrators she had passed the national exam and was fully certified.

To sell the lie, Bardisa handed over a license number that matched her first name — Autumn — but carried a different last name. When questioned, she casually claimed she had gotten married and changed her last name. But when pressed for a marriage certificate, Bardisa couldn’t produce one.

Still, she continued working — and climbing the ranks.

A Promotion That Exposed the Lie

The unraveling began in January 2025, when Bardisa was up for a promotion. A fellow employee looked into her credentials and discovered something chilling: Bardisa’s only legitimate license was an expired nursing assistant certification.

Worse yet, the license number she had been using belonged to a completely different nurse — a former classmate from nursing school. Authorities confirmed that Bardisa and the woman didn’t know each other personally.

Hospital officials quickly launched an internal investigation and fired Bardisa on January 22, 2025, when she still failed to provide proof of her supposed name change.

“She had access to patients, medical records, medications — all under false credentials,” one hospital staffer told local media. “It’s terrifying.”

The Fallout

Since her firing, detectives have been working with AdventHealth to determine the full scope of Bardisa’s deception. So far, records show she treated 4,486 patients — all without a valid medical license.

She was arrested at her home and booked into jail. Her bond has been set at $70,000.

Hospital Responds

AdventHealth has yet to publicly comment on how Bardisa was able to slip through hiring protocols, but Sheriff Staly made it clear:

“Let this be a warning: If you impersonate a health care professional in Flagler County, we will find out — and we will prosecute you.”

The case has already prompted calls for tighter hiring regulations in Florida’s health care sector. Experts warn that medical fraud is rare but potentially catastrophic, especially in hospital environments where patients expect — and deserve — qualified care.

Authorities are urging anyone who believes they may have been treated by Bardisa to contact the sheriff’s office immediately.