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."
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."
If you're interested, there is a very similar case in Florida in 2011 that didn't even garner the national attention that RV's case got. The DA was not involved and it was the decedent's family that sued. It did not lead to the nurse getting criminally charged.
I like some of the changes that were made after that error, especially the plastic bag - easy to open and to identify a serious risk (such as chemo drugs often in an extra baggie)... "has now removed all Pancuronium from nursing areas except for the operating room. A new packaging system was also set up in the hospital. The vial will now be placed in a sealed bag with a clear a warning on the outside."
Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
On 5/14/2022 at 1:46 AM, ThePrincessBride said:
She shouldn't be in jail. This shouldn't have gone to trial. She should have just had her license revoked, but prison? We have cops killing innocent people (ON PURPOSE) not see a day in court but a nurse makes a mistake and she is facing several years in prison?
BS
If the board of nursing had of done their job chances are she wouldnt have.
Lets not forget though someone died, fully conscious, aware of the fact that she was suffocating, unable to attract anyones attention. Not that it would have helped because the nurse pushed an IV medication and walked away without taking any time to check she was OK.
She should never be allowed a nursing license again. NEVER
That said, you Americans are a wierd bunch and make some dodgy as legal decisions. Hopefully we won't be having this discussion in other five years when shes been allowed a nursing license and has made another fatal mistake
Because if she is allowed to keep practicing, without serious remediation on her practice, its not a case of if she kills another patient but when
If the board of nursing had of done their job chances are she wouldnt have.
Lets not forget though someone died, fully conscious, aware of the fact that she was suffocating, unable to attract anyones attention. Not that it would have helped because the nurse pushed an IV medication and walked away without taking any time to check she was OK.
She should never be allowed a nursing license again. NEVER
That said, you Americans are a wierd bunch and make some dodgy as legal decisions. Hopefully we won't be having this discussion in other five years when shes been allowed a nursing license and has made another fatal mistake
Because if she is allowed to keep practicing, without serious remediation on her practice, its not a case of if she kills another patient but when
No one is saying she should have kept her license so you can back off with the aggression.
I just have a problem with the hospital not being charged with some type of criminal culpability. Yes, the hospital settled a civil lawsuit with the family, but did not face criminal charges.
I just have a problem with the hospital not being charged with some type of criminal culpability. Yes, the hospital settled a civil lawsuit with the family, but did not face criminal charges.
It was an individual that was reckless. If every safety system in the hospital fails, the one administering a medication should always do the final check by reading the medication vial and knowing what's in it.
It was an individual that was reckless. If every safety system in the hospital fails, the one administering a medication should always do the final check by reading the medication vial and knowing what's in it.
"During the trial, a lead investigator in the criminal case against former Tennessee nurse RaDonda Vaught testified Wednesday that state investigators found Vanderbilt University Medical Center had a “heavy burden of responsibility” for a grievous drug error that killed a patient in 2017, but pursued penalties and criminal charges only against the nurse and not the hospital itself.... Vanderbilt received no punishment for the fatal drug error."
"During the trial, a lead investigator in the criminal case against former Tennessee nurse RaDonda Vaught testified Wednesday that state investigators found Vanderbilt University Medical Center had a “heavy burden of responsibility” for a grievous drug error that killed a patient in 2017, but pursued penalties and criminal charges only against the nurse and not the hospital itself.... Vanderbilt received no punishment for the fatal drug error."
Yes, we all know that the hospital engaged in a cover-up of a death caused by Radonda Vaught. Of course people feel sorry for her because she screwed up her life with her reckless behavior that caused a woman to die an agonizing and terrifying death.
Engaging in a cover-up is not what caused the death of the patient. As I have been saying all along, that is a separate matter. It is definitely of regulatory concern, and it could be that the individuals who made the decision to cover up the death might be criminally liable. I am not a lawyer. I do understand that those are two different matters.
It was an individual that was reckless. If every safety system in the hospital fails, the one administering a medication should always do the final check by reading the medication vial and knowing what's in it.
The individual doing the final check did get charged probably because she did not carry Liability Insurance ti pay off. It depends on how much justice you can buy.
Boards of Nursing need to take swift action, that would have made all this go away and she would have never been a nurse again. She didn't have the right temperament for nursing. She was a highly distractible woman, and not very careful obviously.
As evidenced by her subsequent behaviors regarding a gun purchase, the woman had some brain stuff going on. I don't know what was off with her about something is obviously very wrong. She just wasn't cut out for nursing.
The reason that people are rallying around her is because we all understand how impossible the hospital environment has become, even for careful, conscientious people, let alonea loose cannon like RaDonda.
Meanwhile, Boards of Nursing are denying licenses over unpaid student loans, but act as if they are in the horse-and-buggy era when it comes to real problems that might cause unsafe practice by nursing.
You seem to know her intimately to be making judgments about her temperament. Everyone who can owns a gun in the South.
CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN
1,017 Posts
I like some of the changes that were made after that error, especially the plastic bag - easy to open and to identify a serious risk (such as chemo drugs often in an extra baggie)... "has now removed all Pancuronium from nursing areas except for the operating room. A new packaging system was also set up in the hospital. The vial will now be placed in a sealed bag with a clear a warning on the outside."