Nurse accused of inappropriately accessing hundreds of patient records

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A New Brunswick nurse is accused of inappropriately accessing the personal health records of about 440 patients while working as a supervisor at a hospital in 2024.

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Shayna LeBlanc faces allegations of professional misconduct brought by the Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB), which regulates registered nurses and nurse practitioners in the province.

According to the statement of allegations, LeBlanc, who was working as a part-time nursing supervisor on night shifts at the time, accessed hundreds of records belonging to patients who were neither under her care nor had given consent for her to review their files.

About 286 of the 440 patients weren’t admitted to the hospital, NANB alleges in the statement.

The hospital isn’t identified in NANB documents. Horizon Health Network told Brunswick News that LeBlanc was an employee and “is no longer with the organization.”

Horizon didn’t answer questions related to which hospital LeBlanc worked at during the time of the alleged incident.

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Vitalité Health Network confirmed to Brunswick News it has never employed LeBlanc.

“As a matter of policy and in accordance with privacy legislation, Horizon does not comment on personnel matters or disclose details related to privacy investigations,” Kelly Chase, Horizon’s chief privacy officer, said in a statement.

“Horizon takes all privacy incidents and breaches very seriously. We have a comprehensive privacy incident and breach management policy and a dedicated privacy department to ensure full compliance with the (Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act).”

Once an investigation determines a privacy breach has occurred, Chase said Horizon notifies the affected patient and reports the incident to the Office of the Ombud.

LeBlanc is alleged to have inappropriately accessed the records of the roughly 440 patients from Feb. 29, 2024, to May 30, 2024.

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“Each inappropriate access of the patients’ records took place from Ms. LeBlanc’s computer in the nurse supervisor’s office at the hospital, over a period of 307.5 hours worked, which equates to 29 shifts,” the statement reads.

LeBlanc now stands accused of breaching three different NANB standards and the Canadian Nurses Association’s ethics code for registered nurses.

Among the allegations include that LeBlanc “failed to use health information on a need-to-know basis with the highest degree of anonymity possible in the circumstances and in accordance with privacy laws,” as well as failed to safeguard and maintain confidentiality of that information.

LeBlanc is specifically accused of not following the hospital’s applicable policies and New Brunswick’s Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act, which is in violation of NANB’s Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses.

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LeBlanc’s case has been referred to the regulator’s disciplinary committee for a hearing. It was referred by NANB’s complaints committee back in June 2025, although the statement of allegations was only just recently made publicly available online.

None of the allegations have been proven. Efforts to reach LeBlanc through workplaces listed as her current employers, as well as through social media, were not successful as of deadline.

According to NANB’s public directory, LeBlanc, who still holds a nursing registration, is listed as currently employed by Saint John’s Carleton-Kirk Lodge and the Department of National Defence in Oromocto.

However, National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin told Brunswick News that its records don’t show a Shayna LeBlanc currently employed in either a nursing or non-nursing capacity with the organization.

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Poulin couldn’t immediately say if LeBlanc had been previously employed with the department.

In an email, NANB spokesperson Jennifer Whitehead said it’s up to nurses to keep their employment information up to date with the regulator. However, she noted that a nurse doesn’t need to be currently employed to be registered with NANB.

“While employment is not a condition of registration, NANB does request employment information annually during the renewal period (October 1 to November 30),” Whitehead said. “Nurses attest to the accuracy of this information at the time of renewal. Nurses may also update their employment information at any time throughout the year using NANB’s online portal.”

The newspaper also reached out to Tim Stevens, executive director of Carleton-Kirk Lodge, to find out whether or not LeBlanc was currently employed with the organization and to offer him a chance to comment.

Stevens declined Wednesday to comment on the matter.

A date has yet to be set for LeBlanc’s disciplinary hearing.

In cases where the regulator’s disciplinary committee finds professional misconduct occurred, the committee has the power to hand out penalties, including issuing a formal reprimand, imposing a fine, ordering that conditions or restrictions be placed on a nurse’s registration, and/or suspending or revoking a nurse’s registration.

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