PALM COAST, Fla — A Palm Coast woman has been accused of masquerading as a licensed nurse and unlawfully attending to thousands of patients, leading to her arrest after an extensive investigation by state and federal authorities.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office reported that 29-year-old Autumn Bardisa was arrested on Tuesday, concluding a seven-month investigation that initiated when she was dismissed from AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway for allegedly posing as a registered nurse.

Authorities revealed that Bardisa used another individual’s license number and submitted fraudulent documents to gain employment as an advanced nurse technician at the medical facility.

“This is one of the most disturbing cases of medical fraud we’ve ever investigated,” said Sheriff Rick Staly.

Officials from AdventHealth stated that Bardisa’s employment commenced in July 2023. In her job application, Bardisa reportedly claimed to be an “education first” registered nurse, indicating that she had completed the educational requirements to become a registered nurse but had not yet successfully completed the national licensing exam.

Subsequently, hospital officials recounted that Bardisa claimed to have passed the national exam and presented a license number that corresponded to a person with the identical first name but a different surname.

“Bardisa attempted to explain the discrepancy, stating that she had recently gotten married and had a new last name,” a news release on Bardisa’s arrest says.

Hospital officials asked Bardisa to provide her marriage license to AdventHealth, which never happened.

In January 2025, investigators said Bardisa was offered a promotion, which prompted her colleagues to check the status of her license. The employee discovered Bardisa’s certified nursing assistant license had expired and reported her findings to hospital administrators.

AdventHealth opened an investigation and discovered Bardisa had never provided her marriage license to confirm her identity. Bardisa was fired Jan. 22, 2025, after she failed to confirm her identity.

The hospital then notified the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to conduct a criminal investigation into Bardisa.

Throughout the investigation, detectives and investigators with the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reviewed documents, conducted interviews with AdventHealth employees and the nurse whose identity Bardisa is accused of stealing. Investigators said Bardisa and the other nurse share the same first name and attended the same school, but did not personally know each other. The other nurse was also employed at a different AdventHealth.

The sheriff’s office said the investigation revealed Bardisa had provided medical services to 4,486 people from June 2024 to January 2025 without holding a valid nursing license.

Tuesday, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Bardisa on seven counts of practicing a health care profession without a license and seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information.

Bardisa was arrested at her home and taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where she remains on a $70,000 bond.

“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,” said Staly. “Thanks to great investigative work between our detectives and State Attorney R.J. Larizza’s Office and AdventHealth, along with our state and federal partners, she’ll now be held accountable for her reckless and dangerous actions.”

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who believes they may be a victim of Bardisa to contact FCSO by email at fakenursecase@flaglersheriff.com for more information.