B.C. nurse who didn’t quarantine gets suspended

A B.C. nurse who didn't quarantine after she returned to Canada on two separate occasions has been suspended for two months.

According to an Oct. 20 B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives decision, licensed practical nurse Melvic Michelle Tan, formerly of Burnaby, left Canada twice between June and August 2020 to go on vacation, and each time she returned, she went straight back to work.

"(Tan) proceeded to immediately return to employment in a hospital and place at risk vulnerable patients, other staff and members of the public," the decision said.

The decision said Tan then lied to her employer and the nursing regulator during its investigation by either making false statements or submitting false documentation.

READ MORE: Penticton nurse that bullied colleagues loses licence

Tan's reluctance to quarantine breached federal and provincial public health measures.

The nursing regulator suspended Tan's licence for two months and she has to complete courses on ethics and professionalism.

The regulator said it's satisfied that the terms will protect the public.

READ MORE: Kelowna anti-vaxxer faces disciplinary hearing with B.C. nursing regulator


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Ben Bulmer

After a decade of globetrotting, U.K. native Ben Bulmer ended up settling in Canada in 2009. Calling Vancouver home he headed back to school and studied journalism at Langara College. From there he headed to Ottawa before winding up in a small anglophone village in Quebec, where he worked for three years at a feisty English language newspaper. Ben is always on the hunt for a good story, an interesting tale and to dig up what really matters to the community.

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