Nurse Charged With Homicide

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  1. Should Radonda Vaught, the nurse who gave a lethal dose of Vecuronium to patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, be charged with reckless homicide?

    • 395
      She should not have been charged
    • 128
      She deserved to be charged

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Radonda Vaught, a 35 year old nurse who worked at the University of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has been indicted on charges of reckless homicide. Read Nurse Gives Lethal Dose of Vecuronium

Radonda is the nurse who mistakenly gave Vecuronium (a paralytic) to a patient instead of Versed. The patient died.

1 minute ago, Wuzzie said:

I believe I used three but I’m not “picking” things out. I’m using direct quotes from you and others. If I was paraphrasing incorrectly then you would have the right to be so angry but I’m not. You say something and I disagree with it and you don’t like that. I understand that because I’m not to thrilled with your verbal attacks on me but rather than get worked up over a stranger on the internet I have politely asked you to dial it back a bit and to quit yelling. You are assuming much about my intent and you are very, very wrong.

Yell? Have I sent a message in all caps?

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3 minutes ago, Dsmcrn said:

Yell? Have I sent a message in all caps?

Not the entire post but a portion of it.

And that’s all you took away from my post?

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5 minutes ago, Dsmcrn said:

We aren’t going to change each other’s minds. 

Frankly, I’m not really trying to change yours because it really doesn’t matter what either of us think. However, I reserve the right to actually have an opinion and in the context of a forum the right to disagree with someone else’s.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
15 minutes ago, Dsmcrn said:

Again false. People, me included, are referring to “criminal charges”.

I didn't say people *here.* So NOT false. Thanks.

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So I read the CMS report and yes there are tons of red flags that we all see when its set aside in a form that has information that has been collected over a period of time. In the moment of going to give that medication, over riding it and administering it then not following up with monitoring makes me wonder what the policies of the hospital were at that time. Im sure they have changed now of course. But what about back then. I myself have over ridden medication. Its been 10 years since being in the hospital setting but when you are providing care and have waited and waited for a medication and the rx is backed up or their is an issue with the system then yes over rides happen. I can actually see a person tapping on the first drug that came with the letters that I typed in if the habit is just that a habit. But I would do a follow up and check the vial in which she stated she did not. She is an ICU nurse which versed is usually used at least it used to be at times. The policies should be reiterated in annual trainings ect. She was basically a float nurse that helped the floor nurses with tasks and she was training someone so she was distracted. I think there are really two sides to this story.....The suffering this woman endured in that machine after receiving paralyzing medication which is just awful and would not be able to live with myself if I was the one causing the harm and the impact criminal charges will have on nursing as a whole in relation to medication errors and reporting and the huge responsibility it is with the risk of being criminally charged for a mistake. Her go fund me says she isn't working. I would think the board hasn't made a move on it yet possibly because it could impact the criminal charges. I will be watching this closely.

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Wait, @Dsmcrn are you going to be in every post about RV misconstruing people's words and ignoring the fact she validly has multiple levels of fault in that patient dying? You're in every thread about this gaslighting people who don't accept what you say as truth and ignore their own common sense and logic. I'm not understanding what you're trying to gain by doing that. Yes, you say you're in TX but you're fighting as though you're RV. What say you?

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34 minutes ago, NurseBlaq said:

Wait, @Dsmcrn are you going to be in every post about RV misconstruing people's words and ignoring the fact she validly has multiple levels of fault in that patient dying? You're in every thread about this gaslighting people who don't accept what you say as truth and ignore their own common sense and logic. I'm not understanding what you're trying to gain by doing that. Yes, you say you're in TX but you're fighting as though you're RV. What say you?

I said I’m not RV.

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43 minutes ago, litbitblack said:

So I read the CMS report and yes there are tons of red flags that we all see when its set aside in a form that has information that has been collected over a period of time. Its been 10 years since being in the hospital setting but when you are providing care and have waited and waited for a medication and the rx is backed up or their is an issue with the system then yes over rides happen. I can actually see a person tapping on the first drug that came with the letters that I typed in if the habit is just that a habit. She is an ICU nurse which versed is usually used at least it used to be at times. She was basically a float nurse that helped the floor nurses with tasks and she was training someone so she was distracted. I think there are really two sides to this story.....The suffering this woman endured in that machine after receiving paralyzing medication which is just awful and would not be able to live with myself if I was the one causing the harm and the impact criminal charges will have on nursing as a whole in relation to medication errors and reporting and the huge responsibility it is with the risk of being criminally charged for a mistake. I would think the board hasn't made a move on it yet possibly because it could impact the criminal charges. I will be watching this closely.

A couple of points and some clarification. There are two reports out now. The CMS report came out first which answered some questions but left us with many more. The TBI report came out in late March which answers many of our questions. Most of us realize that overriding is a necessary evil but pages 50-51 in the TBI report is much more detailed in what RV had to do to override the Vecuronium and it is positively scandalous. This takes it way beyond a routine override, although overrides should never be routine.

As far as the impact of criminal charges on nursing for medical mishaps this is not, as some believe, a precedent-setting case. There have been just a handful of cases (2 to be exact) in the last two decades so the hysteria (not referring to you litbitblack) that nurses are going to be thrown in jail right and left for medication errors based on this incident is unfounded.

And finally are you ready to have your mind blown? The TN BON reviewed the case and decided no action was needed. RV has an active, unencumbered license.

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11 minutes ago, Dsmcrn said:

I said I’m not RV.

That's what you said but only RV would be going as hard as you, unless you know her personally or are related. I'm not going by what you're saying, I'm going by what you're showing. ?

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
16 hours ago, student24 said:

Hello Wuzzie,

Do not never say it can't happened to you, yes we are taught how to do things correctly but in the REAL world sometime we do not do it because the amount of pressure hospital administration put on US, ie, nurse managers, charge nurse, clinical coordinators, etc... The only way this can never happen is if ratio are doable, nurses are not burnt out and have time to care and know the patient we manage instead of completing task. It is so sad to see nurses like you think the nursing world is perfect, you probably never put time in and actually worked,REAL work. Smh... Nursing is a cut throat world, majority of our fellow sisters eat and chew us out. No support. I pray this never happens to you or anyone else.

OOPS. ?

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
14 hours ago, TriciaJ said:

The nurse blew past all of the standard safeguards. Then the hospital failed to address this properly. Then the Board of Nursing failed. Someone has to protect the public. If the buck has to finally stop with the D.A. that is very unfortunate, for all concerned. But it has to stop somewhere.

It reminds me of the Christopher Duntsch case.

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3 minutes ago, Here.I.Stand said:

It reminds me of the Christopher Duntsch case.

I know you are referring to the aspect of institutional passing the buck, but in fairness I do think we should avoid comparing this case to that of someone on record as writing that he "is ready to [....] become a cold-blooded killer" and "what I am, one of kind, a [expletive] stone cold killer that can buy or own or steal or ruin or build whatever he wants."

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