Woman impersonated registered nurse at Gander long-term care home, says health authority

Central Health announced Wednesday that a womanwho worked at Lakeside Homes in Gander was pretending to be a registered nurse.

Lisa Driscoll, who the health authority says was once trained as a practical nurse but who does not hold a registered nursinglicence, worked a total of 25 shifts at the nursing home between Aug. 19 and Nov. 7.

The health authority says Driscoll used the licence number of an existing registered nurse who had a similar name.

Central Health says it works closely with staffing agencies that are responsible for vetting and verifying the credentials of travel nurses. It says Solutions Staffing Inc. verified Driscoll's licence "in error."

CBC News has asked Solutions Staffing Inc. for an interviewbut had not heard back as of publishing time.

The health authority saidit has conducted a review of the time Driscoll worked at Lakeside Homesand foundno reported negative impacts to the residents in care at the facility. However, Central Health saidthere were two reported concerns with her performance unrelated to resident care.

"In the coming days, we will be reaching out directly to the residents and families of those under her care at the time at Lakeside Homes to provide assurance that no reported harm occurred," said Central Health in the statement.

Driscoll was known in Ontario

CBC News has determined Lisa Driscoll's name was previously flagged by the College of Nurses of Ontario as an "unregistered practitioner."

A publicly available list of unregistered practitioners on the college's website has Driscoll's name listed as, "Strickland, Lisa a.k.a. Lisa Driscoll, aka Michelle Driscoll (Newfoundland)."

According to an internet archive search conducted by CBC News, Driscoll's name was flagged on the Ontario college's website as far back as June 29, before she began working for Central Health.

"From time to time, the College of Nurses receives reports that individuals who are not nurses may be seeking employment in nursing or holding themselves out as persons qualified to practise in Ontario as a nurse," the college's website reads.

"Employers are strongly encouraged to use [our website]to verify the membership status of every nurse they employ directly or through an agency."

An issue across Canada

The health authority says it was notified about Driscoll, who was a travel nurse, on Dec. 14by the College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador, saidJoanne Pelley, Central Health's vice-president of integrated health and chief nursing executive.

Pelley says the health authority is discussing next steps with its legal counsel andlooking at safeguards to put in place to ensure similar situationsdonot occur.She says one safeguardincludes doing a second review of the vetting and verification process forany individuals working for the health authority through an agency system.

Instances in whichpeople impersonate health-care professionals have been reported across Canada.

Brigitte Cleroux, from the Ottawa area, was convicted or accusedof pretending to be a nurse in Colorado, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. A whistleblower at anOttawa medical clinic in 2021 filed a complaint against Cleroux, who used the alias Melanie Smith, after Cleroux exhibited what she said was unprofessional behaviour while working as a nurse at the clinic.

The whistleblower soon discovered that Melanie Smith was in fact Cleroux, and that she wasn't registered to practise in Ontario.

Christopher Power of Newfoundland and Labrador was hired at a Bay Roberts retirement home after faking nursing credentials. He was caught in the act of sexually assaulting an elderly resident and was sentenced to 16months for sexual assault in February of this year, and will also serve two years' probation.

Pelley says Central Health is confident other travel nurses working with the health authority have appropriate credentials.

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