Iowa Nurse Reporter - June 2022

Page 14 • Iowa Nurse Reporter June, July, August 2022
Nurse RaDonda Vaught continued from page 13
Criminal Charges Filed Against RaDonda Vaught –
On February 4, 2019 Nurse Vaught is arrested on a criminal
indictment for her role in Ms. Murphey’s death, and
charged with reckless homicide and abuse of an impaired
adult. This is the first time Ms. Vaught is publicly identified.
On February 20, 2019 Ms. Vaught enters not guilty pleas to
both charges.
Tennessee Board of Licensing Health Care Facilities
– On February 5, 2019 the CEO of Vanderbilt appeared
before the Tennessee Board of Licensing for Health Care
Facilities. The CEO admitted the patient’s death was not
reported to state regulators and admitted the hospital’s
response was “too limited.” Officials also confirmed that
they negotiated a confidential settlement with the family.
The Board of Licensing for Health Care Facilities took no
disciplinary action against Vanderbilt.
The Licensing Board Reexamines Prior Licensing
Decision Involving RaDonda Vaught – On September
27, 2019 the Tennessee Department of Health reopened
its prior decision not to pursue disciplinary action
against Ms. Vaught’s license. She is charged with three
violations, including unprofessional conduct, abandoning
or neglecting a patient that required care, and failing to
maintain an accurate patient record.
The licensing violations brought against Nurse Vaught
included:
• Failure to follow the five rights of medication
administration, right patient, right medication, right
dose, right route, and right time;
• After administrating the medication she failed to
monitor the patient; and
• Failed to document in the medical record that she
administered vecuronium
Licensing Hearing – The licensing hearing began
on July 22, 2021. At the hearing Ms. Vaught testified
that the medication error was “completely my fault”
because she did not double check the medicine she
administered. In addition to admitting to her error, Ms.
Vaught argues, through her attorney, that there were
flawed procedures at Vanderbilt. They argued that
there was a problem that prevented communication
between Vanderbilt’s electronic health records,
medication cabinets and the hospital pharmacy. This
flaw caused delays in accessing medications and the
hospital’s short term workaround was to override the
safeguards on the cabinets so they could remove drugs
quickly.
Ms. Vaught testified that “overriding was something
we did as a part of our practice every day. You
couldn’t get a bag of fluids for a patient without using
an override function.” Nurse Vaught testified that
she allowed herself to become “complacent” and
“distracted” while using the medication cabinet and
did not double-check which drug she had withdrawn
despite multiple opportunities. On July 23, 2021 the
Tennessee Board of Nursing unanimously revokes
Vaught’s nursing license.
Ms. Vaught testified that overrides were common
at Vanderbilt and that a 2017 upgrade to the hospital’s
electronic health record system was causing rampant delays
at medication cabinets. Because of that flaw Vanderbilt
instructed nurses to use overrides to circumvent delays and
get medicine as needed. A state investigator also told the
board of nursing to her knowledge that computer issues
caused problems with medication cabinets at Vanderbilt in
2017.
Criminal Proceedings – As part of discovery process
prosecutors reveal that Ms. Vaught made 10 separate
errors when giving the wrong medication to the patient,
including overlooking multiple warning signs. Court
records state that Vaught would have had to look directly
at a warning on the cap, saying “WARNING: PARALYZING
AGENT” before injecting the drug.
The State argued Ms. Vaught failed to scan the
medication against the patient’s medical identification
bracelet. She also pointed out that vecuronium is a powder
that needs to be reconstituted unlike Versed which is
already in liquid form.
The prosecution’s nursing expert testified that Ms.
Vaught failed to meet the standard of care by:
• Being distracted when administering the medication;
• Not looking up the generic name for Versed;
• Failing to read the name of the drug, not noticing a
red warning on the top of the vial, and not staying
with the patient after medication administration.
• Administering the medication when a patient scanner
was not available in the Radiology unit;
• Not double checking the medication with a
colleague; and
• Not monitoring the patient even if she thought she
was giving Versed.
A lead investigator in the criminal trial testified that
Vanderbilt had a “heavy burden of responsibility” for a
grievous drug error…but pursued penalties and criminal
charges only against the nurse and not the hospital itself.
Vanderbilt received no punishment for the fatal drug error.
After three days of trial followed by four hours of
deliberations the jury rendered its verdict. The jury was
made up of six men and six women, with one juror being a
practicing registered nurse and another a former respiratory
therapist.
The Verdict – The jury found Ms. Vaught guilty of
criminal negligent homicide (a lesser charge under reckless
homicide) and gross neglect of an impaired adult. She
was acquitted of reckless homicide. The neglect charge
stemmed from the allegation that Ms. Vaught did not
properly monitor Ms. Murphey after she was injected with
the wrong drug.
Stay Tuned – RaDonda Vaught, a convicted felon, is
scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 2022.
Other Source Documents –
• Kelman, Brett; The RaDonda Vaught case is
confusing. This timeline will help. (msn.com); Nashville
Tennessean; March 22, 2022; https://www.msn.
com/en-us/news/crime/the-radonda-vaught-case-isconfusing-this-timeline-will-help/ar-BB10EVFV
• Kelman, Brett; Ex-Vanderbilt nurse RaDonda
Vaught loses Nursing License for fatal drug error;
Nashville Tennessean; July 23, 2021; https://www.
tennessean.com/story/news/health/2021/07/23/exvanderbilt-nurse-radonda-vaught-loses-license-fatalerror/8069185002/
EDUCATION
YOUR WAY 100% Online
It's easier than ever
to advance your career.
)
RN-BSN Degree Completion Program
Design your own schedule
•
•
Bachelor of Health Science Degree
Completion Program
Flexible full and
• • part time scheduling
• • • •• •• • • • •
•
••••
•.. ►
VISIT STLUKESCOLLEGE.EDU OR CALL (712) 279-3149