Nurse Charged With Homicide

Nurses General Nursing

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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 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.

Specializes in Psych.

That was amazing. Thank you ?

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Specializes in ER.
5 hours ago, Wuzzie said:

I'm kind of interested after all of the threads and posts and the newer information if anybody has changed their opinion one way or another.

Yes. Initially I was against prosecution. I even made a $25 donation to the GoFundMe.

After reviewing all the information provided by you and others, I decided that prosecution was necessary because of A) The egregious nature of the error, and B) The lack of action by the Tennessee BON to protect the public.

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Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.

I sit corrected regarding pulling narcs ? Apparently it's been too long since I've been able to do that, or in the NICU we just always have to waste when we pull from the pyxis. ? mea culpa!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
51 minutes ago, Emergent said:

Yes. Initially I was against prosecution. I even made a $25 donation to the GoFundMe.

After reviewing all the information provided by you and others, I decided that prosecution was necessary because of A) The egregious nature of the error, and B) The lack of action by the Tennessee BON to protect the public.

Not to single you out because many have made the same claim, but your reasoning is that because you (and others) disagree with the TN BON's decision, that the BON should be punished by having RV spend 2-12 years in prison?

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Specializes in ER.
4 minutes ago, MunoRN said:

Not to single you out because many have made the same claim, but your reasoning is that because you (and others) disagree with the TN BON's decision, that the BON should be punished by having RV spend 2-12 years in prison?

If that what it takes to protect the public, so be it.

It's obvious to me that the Tennessee BON is in need of serious reform. Also, Radonda is probably guilty of negligent homicide.

I would advise her to take a plea bargain. It's unfortunate that it had to come to this, I'm sorry about the whole thing.

I would feel the same about a trucker who went 80 in a snowstorm, jackknifed, and killed an innocent person.

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18 minutes ago, MunoRN said:

Not to single you out because many have made the same claim, but your reasoning is that because you (and others) disagree with the TN BON's decision, that the BON should be punished by having RV spend 2-12 years in prison?

As they say in Corrections-- she is a NORP-- "normal ordinary responsible person" (except for caring for patients). She has no priors and will have legions of character witnesses. I doubt she'll do any time. Probation etc.

Can you explain why you agree with the BON to not even recommend education? Nothing?

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Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.
3 hours ago, MunoRN said:

Not to single you out because many have made the same claim, but your reasoning is that because you (and others) disagree with the TN BON's decision, that the BON should be punished by having RV spend 2-12 years in prison?

The BoN isn't getting punished, that's an entire separate issue.

RV is being punished and the public is being protected by her losing her ability to practice and the likelihood of her spending any time in jail in low, unless she does something really stupid.

I also would plea bargain, or plead guilty and beg mercy. My guess would be suspended sentence, community service, loss of license, probation and as long as she doesn't commit other crimes, she won't see the inside of a prison.

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
4 hours ago, Emergent said:

If that what it takes to protect the public, so be it.

It's obvious to me that the Tennessee BON is in need of serious reform. Also, Radonda is probably guilty of negligent homicide.

I would advise her to take a plea bargain. It's unfortunate that it had to come to this, I'm sorry about the whole thing.

I would feel the same about a trucker who went 80 in a snowstorm, jackknifed, and killed an innocent person.

Speaking of truckers, it's just past the anniversary of the hockey players who were injured and killed when their bus collided with a truck. The trucker was inexperienced and believed to be poorly trained. However, he did blow past a stop sign, after passing several signs that he was approaching a major intersection. He has just been sentenced to 8 years. And no, he didn't intend to kill anyone.

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10 hours ago, TriciaJ said:

I wonder if the current generation is used to trusting technology more than their own brains. People keep saying how Vandy should have had a better system in place to prevent this. For the love of Pete, how? What do you do to foolproof the system from someone who blows past all the protocols?

People who employ nurses in hospitals most certainly want and expect them to trust technology more than their own brains. They only ever say anything remotely different when their way has gone wrong.

I've said this many times here that I have been privy to safety-themed meetings where the entire goal has been to garner buy-in for the next half-assed change by telling nurses (point blank) how hard the safety community is working to decrease our need for critical thinking because nurses trying to use critical thinking is what leads to errors.

A dirty little secret with technology is the hope and belief that it will allow less need to hire a particular caliber of thinker. In part, it is one of the things that enables driving philosophies such as, They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Better to be kind than right. "I can teach anyone to take care of a patient care but I can't teach attitude!" Okay then...what else can be said? Not making the mistake of trying to think is exactly what has been asked for and in fact demanded over the last several years.

***

You guys know that I don't think this should not be disciplined. It is unacceptable.

I am sorry-not-sorry for my fence-riding; the proof of what I am saying is in the aftermath. The institution's handling of this and their issues that people believe are a "separate issue" are not separate from the rest of it, because it shows us what is valued there, which is not good patient care.

If you are truly an institution that is "all that," and it's just this one single employee who seemingly went off the rails - then you would have been seen, in the aftermath, naturally handling the situation according to core values anchored in basic principles, laws and ethics. You would have done it that way naturally because that's how you roll.

When the only things you naturally do in response to crisis are to blank out on ethics and bypass very clear legal protocols and systems which are in place, you prove that this bad thing that has happened is not truly different than that which you have said (through word and deed) that you value.

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Case in point:

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
3 hours ago, JKL33 said:

People who employ nurses in hospitals most certainly want and expect them to trust technology more than their own brains. They only ever say anything remotely different when their way has gone wrong.

I've said this many times here that I have been privy to safety-themed meetings where the entire goal has been to garner buy-in for the next half-assed change by telling nurses (point blank) how hard the safety community is working to decrease our need for critical thinking because nurses trying to use critical thinking is what leads to errors.

A dirty little secret with technology is the hope and belief that it will allow less need to hire a particular caliber of thinker. In part, it is one of the things that enables driving philosophies such as, They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Better to be kind than right. "I can teach anyone to take care of a patient care but I can't teach attitude!" Okay then...what else can be said? Not making the mistake of trying to think is exactly what has been asked for and in fact demanded over the last several years.

***

You guys know that I don't think this should not be disciplined. It is unacceptable.

I am sorry-not-sorry for my fence-riding; the proof of what I am saying is in the aftermath. The institution's handling of this and their issues that people believe are a "separate issue" are not separate from the rest of it, because it shows us what is valued there, which is not good patient care.

If you are truly an institution that is "all that," and it's just this one single employee who seemingly went off the rails - then you would have been seen, in the aftermath, naturally handling the situation according to core values anchored in basic principles, laws and ethics. You would have done it that way naturally because that's how you roll.

When the only things you naturally do in response to crisis are to blank out on ethics and bypass very clear legal protocols and systems which are in place, you prove that this bad thing that has happened is not truly different than that which you have said (through word and deed) that you value.

I've long known that hospitals really didn't give a rip about patient care or safety, but I had no idea they actually want to shut down critical thinking. This is the only post I've seen on these lengthy threads that provides any credible mitigation for providing substandard care.

If I was Radonda, I would want my attorney to see this post. I don't mean this sarcastically. This information needs to be made way more public.

2
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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
4 hours ago, JKL33 said:

People who employ nurses in hospitals most certainly want and expect them to trust technology more than their own brains. They only ever say anything remotely different when their way has gone wrong.

I've said this many times here that I have been privy to safety-themed meetings where the entire goal has been to garner buy-in for the next half-assed change by telling nurses (point blank) how hard the safety community is working to decrease our need for critical thinking because nurses trying to use critical thinking is what leads to errors.

A dirty little secret with technology is the hope and belief that it will allow less need to hire a particular caliber of thinker. In part, it is one of the things that enables driving philosophies such as, They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Better to be kind than right. "I can teach anyone to take care of a patient care but I can't teach attitude!" Okay then...what else can be said? Not making the mistake of trying to think is exactly what has been asked for and in fact demanded over the last several years.

***

You guys know that I don't think this should not be disciplined. It is unacceptable.

I am sorry-not-sorry for my fence-riding; the proof of what I am saying is in the aftermath. The institution's handling of this and their issues that people believe are a "separate issue" are not separate from the rest of it, because it shows us what is valued there, which is not good patient care.

If you are truly an institution that is "all that," and it's just this one single employee who seemingly went off the rails - then you would have been seen, in the aftermath, naturally handling the situation according to core values anchored in basic principles, laws and ethics. You would have done it that way naturally because that's how you roll.

When the only things you naturally do in response to crisis are to blank out on ethics and bypass very clear legal protocols and systems which are in place, you prove that this bad thing that has happened is not truly different than that which you have said (through word and deed) that you value.

42 minutes ago, TriciaJ said:

I've long known that hospitals really didn't give a rip about patient care or safety, but I had no idea they actually want to shut down critical thinking. This is the only post I've seen on these lengthy threads that provides any credible mitigation for providing substandard care.

If I was Radonda, I would want my attorney to see this post. I don't mean this sarcastically. This information needs to be made way more public.

I've tuned out this conversation about 40 pages ago because it is redundant. People believe what they believe, and there is no one changing their mind or saying much of anything new. I'm glad I happened to click on these two comments, though, because they make a world of sense.

Hospitals stopped giving a damn about patient care a long time ago, and the focus is now on the bottom line, on recruiting patients to their facility based on fancy new buildings, shorter ER wait times and their lovely, compassionate nurses. I have yet to see anyone advertise the critical thinking of their nursing staff, or their up-do-date Pyxis or Omnicell.

The idea that administration truly wants to shut down critical thinking was shocking at first. After reflecting on it for a time, I can see that it makes perfect sense. Not sense as in it's the right thing to do, but sense as in the data point to this even though I couldn't believe it.

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