This Woman Has Allegedly Been Impersonating Nurses for Decades

A woman who has been accused of impersonating a nurse for years and giving patients drugs when she’s not qualified to do so has been charged with personation with intent and fraud over $5,000. 

In a news release, Vancouver police said they launched an investigation into Brigitte Cleroux, 49, after learning that an employee at B.C. Women’s Hospital had been posing as a nurse from June 2020 to June 2021. 

Police said Cleroux had been using the name of a real nurse while caring for patients at the hospital. 

“We don’t yet know how many people in Vancouver may have received treatment from the fraudulent nurse, but we’re working with the provincial health services authority to identify patients who may have had contact with her,” said Constable Tania Visintin in the news release. 

The new charges against Cleroux come after Ottawa police laid a string of charges against her in August, including assault with a weapon, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and using a forged document.

According to CBC News, Cleroux’s history of impersonating professionals, including nurses and teachers,  dates back to 1991. She has been accused of administering injections, including sedatives and anesthetics, on patients in both Vancouver and Ottawa. 

Cleroux attended a nursing program in Colorado but never completed it and was never licensed to practice, CBC News reported. 

In June, the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives issued a warning about Cleroux, adding that she may be using the aliases Melanie Smith, Melanie Thompson, or Melanie Cleroux.

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