A former West Kelowna, B.C., nurse has been handed a four-week suspension, after she contacted a “vulnerable” patient while off-duty to push anti-vaccine information.
The case was revealed in a consent agreement posted by the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives on Thursday.
According to the college, former registered nurse (RN) Carole Garfield was disciplined for “contacting a vulnerable client, while off duty, using her personal cell phone and email, to provide anti COVID vaccine information and to recommend alternative pseudo-science modalities” in September 2021.
While Garfield was given a one-month suspension, she is not currently authorized to practice in the province, and her licence was cancelled on April 1, according to the college’s registry.
In addition to the suspension, the consent agreement says Garfield has agreed to a public reprimand, a six-month ban on being the sole RN on duty and remedial education in professional nursing standards, ethics, boundaries, documentation, privacy and confidentiality.
Earlier this month, the college suspended another nurse who asked a colleague to create “false vaccination records” for himself and posted COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on social media claiming it was unsafe and possibly lethal.