Autumn Marie Bardisa, a 29-year-old resident of 7 Pinto Drive in Palm Coast who impersonated an emergency room nurse at AdventHealth Palm Coast’s two hospitals, was arrested on 14 felony charges on Tuesday and is being held at the Flagler County jail on $70,000 bond.
Bardisa worked at the hospitals from July 3, 2023 to Jan. 22, 2025, when she was fired. During her employment, she had documented contact as a nurse with 4,486 patients, according to the investigation.
The arrest followed an extensive investigation led by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office that ended up involving the federal Department of Health and the state Department of Health, after AdventHealth officials initially provided limited information, citing privacy laws.
The chief nursing officer at AdventHealth Palm Coast brought the allegations to authorities in January and March after she was tasked with conducting an internal investigation on Bardisa, once she was informed that Bardisa was possibly not licensed as a nurse.
Bardisa was going by the name of Autumn “Ruba” Hood, whose license as a registered nurse Bardisa had fraudulently obtained, according to her arrest report. Bardisa is also alleged to have sold prescription medication to another employee (Semaglutide, commonly referred to as Ozempic) and that Bardisa had administered birth control injections to another employee.
Bardisa had been hired on July 3, 2023 as an advanced nurse technician working under the supervision of registered and licensed practical nurses. She had described herself as an “Education First” registered nurse on her application, but had not passed a required test to be so licensed.
She was expected to get her license as a condition of employment, according to her arrest report. She claimed to the Human Resources Department that she’d taken the test on Aug. 15, 2023, and that she’d passed it: she informed Human Resources in mid-October, producing what appeared to be a valid license number. The number belonged to Autumn Hood. Bardisa told the hospital that her license number may not match immediately, because she claimed to have just gotten married and gave a new name: Autumn Rubba.
HR asked her to upload her marriage license to an internal Advent Health database. The license “was later determined to have never been completed,” the investigative report states.
“Advent Health failed to immediately identify that Autumn had never uploaded the marriage license and did not require documentation on why the licensing dates did not match between Autumn Bardisa and Autumn Hood,” the investigative report by sheriff’s detective Adam Barkoskie states. “Due to Autumn Bardisa’s fraudulent use of another person’s identification information, and Advent Health’s oversight on the discrepancies, Autumn was allowed to start the Nurse Residency Program where she graduated on Thursday, June 20, 2024, and accepted a position as a Registered Nurse at Advent Health.”
Bardisa was offered a promotion to Charge Nurse in early January 2025, prompting questions from her colleagues. “An unidentified nurse checked the status of Autumn’s license and discovered that the only license that Autumn Bardisa had was a delinquent Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license” that had expired in May 2024.
“This prompted Advent Health to start an inquiry which led to asking Autumn Bardisa for her pre-requested marriage license to confirm her licensed identity,” the investigative report states. “Autumn gave several excuses and ultimately could not provide the documentation and was terminated on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.”
Investigators interviewed the real Autumn Hood. Hood told them that her own maiden name was Rubba, that she’d attended the same college as Bardisa, but that she did not know her personally. She had recently married and changed her name to Hood. Hood happens to be an employee of AdventHealth as well, but elsewhere in Florida. The company had not provided her with information about the identity theft, she told investigators–nor had she given permission to anyone to use her identity.
A federal agent requested and was granted “a subpoena from his own legal counsel in reference to remaining supporting documentation that had not been turned over by Advent Health,” the investigation states. “The remaining documentation demanded from Advent Health was the identities of the patients that were provided care by Autumn Bardisa while she was fraudulently employed as a Registered Nurse by Advent Health.” The company requested a few extensions to produce the documents, but did so by last Monday (Aug. 4) .
Bardisa faces seven counts of unlicensed practice of a health care professional and seven counts of fraudulent identification. The State Attorney’s Office may yet add charges. She was arrested on Tuesday at 65 Springwood Drive in Palm Coast, where her vehicle had been located by investigative means.
Pogo says
@Based on the accompanying photo
… all she needs is a gold cross, the size of a cathedral’s front door handles, on a necklace, and the right publicist; a full pardon, and inevitable high level government employment by Trump, DeSantis & CheatThem (motto: fake it til ya make it!) will be on its way.
Yee-Haw!
Marc says
I’m astounded not any mention of AdventHealth’s liability in this fiasco caused by their lack of proper hiring procedures!
Al Bo says
What did the 4,486 patient have to say about her? Helped a colleague lose some weight, and another control her birth plan? Sounds like a hero to me. Give her a dam* license.
Diane Rapacchietta says
I’ve been a professional nurse for over 40 yrs, both as a staff nurse and a nurse manager . It sounds like Advent Hospital has a problem with their Human Resource Department as well as some of the onus falls to the hiring manager for not doing a background check of previous employment. Its frightening to think that someone was able to see patients for so long in a emergency department and no one failed to notice the incompetence . Surely someone oriented her and had cause for concern related her abilities to perform the roll.
NJ says
What was this young woman “thinking” ??? She something Very STUPID and now she could be facing very long jail time! Hopefully NO ONE was injured by her STUPID action as a FAKE nurse!
Brian says
Wow. You would think that Advent Health would have a more comprehensive background check. It’s probably harder to get a job at Wal-Mart.
Broken system says
So she did a good job at fraud! Here in racist murikkka we elect those people so they can enrich themselves! Starve the poor lets eat the rich!!
Jf says
Advent health is the bywords hospital to go to. My friends husband went in 2 days ago with chest pains. They told him that he probably just had a pulled muscle. 45 minutes after the discharge he started sweating and vomiting and still had chest pains. Went to advent health in Ormond and was discharged under the same circumstances. Hi wife wasn’t comfortable and took him to Halifax and 5 hours later was under the knife getting a quadruple bypass. ADVENT HEALTH SUCKS ALL OF THEM!!!
Jay Tomm says
AND??? At least she was helping people & no one seemed to complain about it.
Been there and not surprised says
I applied for a job 2 years ago at the new Advent Hospital on PC Parkway just before they were about to open that facility. I met the “HR director” during orientation. Absolute joke. She said she came from Walmart. That probably explains the absolute screw-up in allowing an uneducated and unlicensed nurse to treat almost 4500 patients in the ER putting them at grave risk. As a side note, I quit the first day I started. That’s after working at Halifax Hospital in Daytona for 20 years (a level 2 trauma center). The powers that be need to find another HR person.
I think Medicare (CMS) should also be notified, and should also conduct an investigation. How many senior citizens were treated in the Advent ER by this fake nurse with poor outcome? What are the stats on that??? How many Medicare claims have been submitted by Advent for care given to senior citizens by a fake nurse? Advent is going to have to take responsibility for false claims.
Why didn’t the hiring manager follow up on the shady credentials?
The place is an absolute joke.
But then again, we also have an unlicensed and uneducated “nutritionist” right here in Palm Coast who’s running for Palm Coast City Council District 3 who thinks it’s funny when confronted about practicing nutrition without a license.
I also have a license to practice in the State of Florida through the FL Department of Health. This story doesn’t surprise me at all remembering my experience when I was in the process of getting hired at Advent.
Sherry says
After reading a couple of completely ignorant comments here, it’s crystal clear that those spouting off know absolutely NOTHING about the training and expertise required, as well as the responsibilities/liabilities of the nursing profession.
After the appropriate Advent HR staff are fired for incompetence, a thorough investigation should be performed regarding each and every patient this charlatan pretended to attend. Certainly law suits are likely to be filed by patients/their families for such negligence!
Hospitals should not be run by unqualified administrators!
jim dana says
WOW – I can’t believe this article – I am stunned that the HR dept didn’t totally check her credentials!!! This is so concerning on so many levels
Salty Co-worker strikes again says
Well, apparently she was smart enough to get her license in February. She is now a licensed nurse and was practicing somewhere else when she was arrested.
Let’s hear it for the salty coworker who turned her in because she wasn’t promoted, but the unlicensed nurse was! What a salty clown.
And shame on the HR department from AdventHealth, this is all their fault. All they had to do was follow up weekly with her and within 30 days let her go if she didn’t have the proper documentation. I sure hope some people lose their jobs within HR!
Richard Berkheiser says
Each hospital can be comlaetely different. An example is when I admitted to Advent Hospital in Z -hills after major foot surgery. I ( my wife) had to fight to get my Parkinson’s meds, gave them the list and in turn got most of them. When I was getting discharged t two days later, we had a problem! The hospital’s Doctor who admitted me , on paper, (we found out) that had come from a few different states, has no education with Parkinson’s or Neurology. So when he went to discharge me, he took it upon himself to STOP a couple of my meds and gave instructions to cut back on more.
This has been the only bad incident. I was properly taken care of at Advent Health in Westly Chapel on a diffferent occasion….meds, no problem, as is true with my ten day stay. ER staff was fabulous getting me admitted with the proper care, and Walter Ketchum RN super, made sure I was where I was supposed to be. I’d go back there in a heartbeat !!
Concerned Citizen says
Hard to believe she passed thru so many checkpoints. Designed to catch her. But didn’t.
I’ve been active in Public Safety my whole life. Any job I ever had required a Level 2 background check with finger prints for a reason. And at onboarding any ID requirements were met that day. Or we didn’t move forward. None of this provide it later.
Advent Health was negligent on many levels. And owes this community an apology. I hope Flagler Live looks further into this story. And keeps us informed.
Once you go in, you don't come out says
1. Everyone who was treated in the Palm Coast Advent ER in the last 2 years should contact Morgan & Morgan to participate in a class action lawsuit for putting the public at risk due to lack of due diligence and for not maintaining Joint Commission standards for accreditation.
2. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid should perform an audit AND levy a huge fine.
3. The Joint Commission should investigate. The Joint Commission oversees the certification and accreditation of all hospitals. Look up: jointcommission.org.
Flagler Expatriate says
Well there was a fake accountant, a drunk school bus driver, and now a fake nurse. Maybe a fake cop, fake teacher, or fake firefighter and Palm Coast will complete the set!
Jamie Leo Rutherford says
This is a shocking story! It’s hard to believe someone could impersonate a nurse for that long without being caught. I hope the hospital reviews their hiring practices to prevent this from happening again.
Greg says
I personally feel that advent Health is a great hospital. I was there several times, and the care and professionalism was outstanding. I would go there again without a second thought.
Pig Farmer says
Joint Commission is on the hospitals side most of the time. I say this as someone retired from the healthcare industry after almost 30 years. Spent lots of time preparing hospitals for Joint Commission inspections. They literally tell you what they are going to focus on before they arrive. Medicare and Medicaid are another matter. They are looking for an excuse not to pay hospitals.
jane doh says
Yo Dummy, maybe you shoulda studied more for the NCLEX. Whatta maroon! Whatta jackass! Well, now you never have to worry about getting your RN license now!
Chris says
How do I find out if I was a victim of this unlicensed person at Adventhealth Palm Coast?
Nicole says
I used to work at our lovely hospital doing nurse staffing for the impatient floors. The amount of HIPAA violations I saw would stun you. I lasted a little over a year before I left for a new position elsewhere. I was terrified of their mistakes and being wrapped up in what they were very obviously doing wrong.
The ER is a joke and so are the people running it. Unless I couldn’t make it somewhere else, I wouldn’t bring my worst enemy there. It’s poorly managed and run down looking inside. Almost looks dirty.
And HR? I tried to transfer to that side but they wouldn’t even interview me for a higher position (I have a master’s degree and experience) because I was not of the advent faith. I guess being a Baptist is looked down upon. I know 3 individuals at different advent locations and they were promoted solely based on their religious affiliation and who they knew because of it. All of them are Adventist – shocking right?
All this to say, I hope Advent Health is severely scrutinized by licensing boards and that CMS and Joint Commission comes in and audits them. I won’t hold my breath for fairness. Our community deserves another choice for emergency healthcare. I hope we get a different hospital in here eventually.
PeachesMcGee says
According to the FL DOH website she used two different names. The second name shows her RN license which is still valid. Conceivably, if she bonds out she could work in another state and none would be the wiser.
AUTUMN M BARDISA
License Number: CNA374380
License Status DELINQUENT/
License Expiration Date 5/31/2024
License Original Issue Date 03/27/2019
and
AUTUMN MARIE BARDISA
License Number: RN9678832
License Status Clear/Active
Qualifications Multistate Registered Nurse
License Expiration Date 7/31/2026
License Original Issue Date 02/18/2025
Wow says
I had to be fingerprinted and have a background check to pass out water at a road race in Palm Coast.
Atwp says
This day and time, how could this happen? Don’t the hospitals have a way to check the validity of a nurses license? The sad part is seeing so many patients in a very short time. Name change and no proof of how lady name was changed, Advent didn’t follow up on that red flag. Hope suits will be filed and Advent and the fake pay out a lot of money. If Advent is a doner to the Republican Party, forget them being sued or paying a penny for their actions. Was this an inside job. How many more fake nurses are working for the hospitals in the area. Some time ago a lady stole a lot of money from Johns Appliance, here recently a lady stole money from her place of employment, now a fake nurse. Guess what the common denominator is with these women! The world we live in.
Atwp says
Well well, Advent one of the worse hospital in the area. Has allowed a palm colored person to work in the ER without any experience/license. She was a blonde uneducated individual who had the complextion for protection. They were willing to make her charge nurse after only 18 months of being a nurse says it all about Advent. Been a nurse for 40 years worked for Advent for 3 years went prn and they terminated me because they said I never signed a declination paper for the flu vaccine. They are getting rich by claiming to be non profit with Bible quotes everywhere while being wolves in sheep clothing. I hope if there were any negative outcomes from this unlicensed person those patients will suit them for every penny they have stolen.
Laurel says
This is beyond disturbing. I figured, if need be, Advent would be okay for stabilizing, and then send me to Mayo! Now, this is really scary. I have no confidence in the place whatsoever now. This is unacceptable.
Travis Creighton says
And if a patient died who fell under Florida Free Kill, statute 768.21(8), not a thing those families can do to hold AdventHealth the medical professionals accountable in civil court.
Just saying says
In my life experiences I have found that there are many qualified people out there that don’t have the “piece of paper”.
steve thomas says
Its sad that it took some internal jealously about a potential promotion of this hack to expose her. You know whatever “real” nurse dug this up has cross hairs on them now for embarrassing the brand!
Nurse Who Knows says
IMO HR failed to do due diligence . I am currently retired RN MSN , I am astounded this person was able to “fool” the powers that be.
This discredits all that have worked hard to prepare themselves for roles they deserve in healthcare .
I’m sure legitimate staff complained but no one was listening . I hope they all documented well and has the paper trail of complaints when the court cases start to surface.
This person had absolutely no business practicing as an RN administering care as well as being in a charge position to others . It will be disturbing to see how many were adversely affected by incompetent actions of this person . She apparently had enough “education “ to fool some but not all .
A criminal will steal someone else’s ID .
Shame on this institution as well.