Now in handcuffs, woman poses as registered nurse, treats thousands of patients without a license.

Now in handcuffs, woman poses as registered nurse, treats thousands of patients without a license.

In the USA.

The news as it trends. See the photo below. 

Autumn Bardisa’s story is a cautionary tale of ambition gone rogue.

Once a certified nursing assistant (CNA), Bardisa let her license expire while attending nursing school — assuming she’d soon become a registered nurse.

But after graduating, instead of waiting to pass the required licensing exam, she lied, claiming she was already licensed.

She applied to AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway in July 2023, using another nurse’s license number and fabricating a marriage to explain the name mismatch.

The hospital accepted her story, and Bardisa was hired as an advanced nurse technician.

She even entered the Nurse Residency Program, graduating in June 2024.

Between June 2024 and January 2025, Bardisa treated over 4,400 patients, administering care she was not legally authorized to provide.

Her deception unraveled when a colleague discovered her expired CNA license and reported her.

Though Bardisa had nursing education, her actions were both illegal and dangerous. In the United States, by law, one must hold a valid license to practice as a nurse.

Her arrest has sparked a new dialogue on social media about serious gaps in credential verification — and the dangerous consequences of trusting without verifying in healthcare.

When unlicensed individuals are allowed to treat patients, lives are put at risk.

In professions where precision, ethics, and accountability are non-negotiable, oversight failures aren’t just administrative — they can be fatal.

It is worth noting that Bardisa shared a first name and attended nursing school with the legitimate nurse whose license she misappropriated.

That nurse was employed at a different AdventHealth facility, and according to reports, the two women were unfamiliar with one another.

Yetunde B reports for Yeyetunde’s Blog.

Image / Flagler County Sheriff’s Office / Social Media.