Radonda Vaught Sentenced

[tnbutterfly - Mary]

The sentencing is scheduled for Friday, 9:00 AM Central Time. 

Vaught is set to be sentenced on her convictions in Davidson County Criminal Court on Friday by Judge Jennifer Smith. 

What do you think the sentencing will/should be?  Do you think she should receive jail time?

Quote

"Her charges carry possible penalties of up to eight years in prison. The neglect charge could include from three to six years, the homicide one to two years incarceration. 

Smith will set the sentence, bound by guidelines in state law, and will decide whether it includes jail time and whether the sentences run concurrently or consecutively."

RaDonda Vaught sentencing: 5 things to know

For live coverage, go to:

UPDATE

The Judge announced the sentence:

Judicial Diversion and Supervised probation for 3 years.  Will reassess after completion of probationary period.

No prison time.

Judicial Diversion

"Judicial Diversion in TN is a method by which many first-time offenders can have the opportunity to ultimately have their conviction dismissed following a successful probationary period, thereby preserving a clean record and giving them the opportunity to have it expunged, or completely removed, from their criminal history."

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

Judicial Diversion in TN is a method by which many first-time offenders can have the opportunity to ultimately have their conviction dismissed following a successful probationary period, thereby preserving a clean record and giving them the opportunity to have it expunged, or completely removed, from their criminal history.

[Wuzzie]

Well, that’s unfortunate because I have little faith in either the TBON or RV’s ability to make good decisions. 

[ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP]

3 hours ago, Wuzzie said:

Yes, and now she can’t petition to get her license back which I have no doubt the TBON would have granted since they didn’t act until this became public and they looked incompetent. 
From the beginning I was certain she would never go to jail because of the lack of intent but she still needed to answer to the public for her actions. Sadly I’m not convinced she has learned much from this given her subsequent poor decision making incident. 

She most likely would have never gotten her licensed reinstated after that error.

Charging her did more harm than good. Now more healthcare workers are going to be less likely to report errors for fear of ending up like her.

[Wuzzie]

8 hours ago, ThePrincessBride said:

She most likely would have never gotten her licensed reinstated after that error.

Charging her did more harm than good. Now more healthcare workers are going to be less likely to report errors for fear of ending up like her.

Given the fact that the TBON screwed up so massively when this was first brought to them I find their competence to be suspect. The fact that you used the terms “most likely” is the reason. But now seeing what TNButterfly posted I am certain that RV will bid for reinstatement and it will probably happen which makes me sick. 
She isn’t the first nurse charged and convicted for egregiously negligent practice involving a medication. I’m not sure why everyone is making this THE seminal case. The nursing community could not have possibly picked a worse poster child to represent us. She certainly doesn’t represent me. 

[HiddenAngels]

Yea but it looks like she got judicial diversion which means her record could be expunged after she serves out her probation.

also

Was her hair always gray?  I didn't even recognize her.

[HiddenAngels]

1 hour ago, Wuzzie said:

The nursing community could not have possibly picked a worse poster child to represent us. 

Interesting to read this Wuzzie, I actually posted a longer message but didn't feel like finishing it bcus it's Saturday and I'm up cleaning LOL but this was kind of what it was about.

I've been to protest before and I'm telling you people sometimes show up just to show up and have no idea what the real issue is, let alone want to start the discussions on how to fix them.  I think people are concerned about the nurse/patient safety ratios and med errors (hopefully not this egregious), and they have used this instance to represent these problems and this isn't it.

This trial has nothing to do with the nursing problems that we are ALL facing.   If anything, maybe this will be a catalyst for change for better conditions for us, but I doubt it,  I'm not holding my breath.

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

After speaking with Vaught and her attorney, ANA sent a letter to the judge on May 5 which would be submitted into evidence on Vaught’s behalf.

 

vaught-judge-letter-05092022.pdf

[Emergent, RN]

The letter was carefully written. They described the reaction in much of the nursing community well. They didn't overly excuse RV. I'm glad that they wrote it

[HiddenAngels]

It was a very good letter.  The body of that text is what's needed to be plastered all over every medical system/judicial system/etcetera.  We work our ______ off.

[Wuzzie]

34 minutes ago, Emergent said:

The letter was carefully written. They described the reaction in much of the nursing community well. They didn't overly excuse RV. I'm glad that they wrote it

Except they got the facts wrong. She wasn’t floating to different units. She was an extra nurse in her OWN unit. She didn’t bravely self-report, the error was discovered by another nurse.  This is what I’m talking about. Radonda didn’t “do the right thing” of her own accord. She had no way to weasel out of it. Yet they are spinning this to make her sound honorable and a representative of how difficult nursing is for us today. Reading a vial isn’t difficult. Not lying on a gun application isn’t difficult. 

[vintagegal, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

Did she intend with malice to cause harm to this patient ?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Bottom line is.. she grabbed the wrong drug. Gave it and walked away from the bedside. Even is she had only  administered  the Versed.. she  still needed to observe her patient. That is prudence. 
I know the courts have ruled. Three years of probation is not enough.