The RaDonda Vaught Case: A Fatal Medication Error
Ms. Terri Stewart, MSN, RN

On March 25th, a jury in Nashville, Tennessee convicted Registered Nurse, RaDonda Vaught of criminally negligent homicide and impaired adult abuse. By the time this episode airs, Ms. Vaught will be sentenced in this conviction. This case has riled up the nursing community (both for and against the conviction). The American Nurses Association has said put out a statement along with the Tennessee Nurses Association that in part says, “Like many nurses who have been monitoring this case closely, we were hopeful for a different outcome. It is a sad day for all of those who are involved, and the families impacted by this tragedy….this ruling will have a long-lasting negative impact on the profession”. Ms. Stewart and I discuss details of the case, medication errors in general terms and reporting of those errors, the impact this case potentially has on the nursing profession and lessons learned moving forward.

More About Ms. Stewart:
Terri Stewart, a Memphis native, joined the College of Nursing faculty in October of 2017. She received her diploma in nursing from Baptist Hospital School of Nursing in Memphis TN and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Union University in Memphis, TN. She received her Master of Science in Nursing with a concentrated study in Nursing Administration from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing. Terri has been a nurse for 42 years and has an extensive practice in executive nursing leadership, home health, hospice, staff development, and the practice of oncology nursing in the acute care setting. Her most recent work experience was at Saint Francis Hospital where she served in the role of CNO from 2010 to 2017. During this time she precepted leadership students in both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Alpha Chi, Tennessee Nurses Association, and American Nurses Association. Terri teaches in the BSN program in leadership and adult health.

Websites:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2022/03/29/radonda-vaught-nashville-nurse-sentencing-how-much-prison-time/7205868001/

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/03/25/1088902487/former-nurse-found-guilty-in-accidental-injection-death-of-75-year-old-patient

https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/fulltext/2019/06000/just_culture__it_s_more_than_policy.9.aspx

https://www.justculture.com/

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#RaDondaVaught, #ptsafety, #nurses, #nursing, #medicationerror, #istandwithradonda, #registerednurse, #healthcare