Some are voicing concern that the move sets a precedent that may actually make hospitals less safe by making people hesitant to report errors. Police officer who slept with six co-workers claims she was 'sexually groomed', Imperial College Chemical Engineering Applicants 2023. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. RaDonda Vaught appears at a court hearing with her attorney, Peter Strianse, in February. Earlier that morning, hundreds of nurses gathered in downtown Nashville, wearing purple T-shirts with the hashtag #IAmRaDonda to support Vaught in face of a broken medical system. Nothing about it felt urgent; providers had made do without one for decades. And if youre bad at math, get a tutor or take a course on the sort of math you need as an RN, including improving your skills in estimation---so even if you calculate wrong, youll know you made an error before administering the medication to a patient. She was acquitted of reckless homicide. Concurrently, the nurse would also get baseline lab work done. He moved the family from West Virginia to Seattle for his residency at the University of Washington when Kim was a few months old. Not often, grant you, but it happens. Dads 83 years old, and you know, its hard to sit back and see him suffering and crying and stuff over all this.. But on Friday, after an hours-long hearing, Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Jennifer Smith ruled that Vaught qualified for judicial diversion. But, according to the Tennessean, Murphey needed a final scan in the radiology department first. hide caption. During Fridays hearing, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent Ramona Smith, who interviewed Vaught after Murpheys death, testified that the nurse didnt seem remorseful about what happened. I calculated the wrong dose and he died. When I met Sydney in 2015, she told me that seeing her moms workhow much she loved it, how she helped peopleinspired her to consider a career in health care. She currently works as a charge nurse in a busy outpatient primary care department. Problems tend to happen in busy, unpredictable circumstances, Manges says. @WSMV pic.twitter.com/QHewhtL9Gx, Tosin Fakile (@TosinfaksTV) May 13, 2022, The nursing profession is already extremely short-staffed, strained and facing immense pressurean unfortunate multi-year trend that was further exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic, the statement added. "They did it on a teacher's salary, but we never wanted for anything growing up.". Ive made plenty of mistakes as an MA. Nursing is my passion and the very core of who I am, she wrote. Law firms use nurses to review potential medical malpractice cases. Never got fired for making a mistake although my boss was quite upset . Six months later, we implemented our programResilience in Stressful Events, or RISE. Vaught, a former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was indicted in the December 2017 death of Charlene Murphey, whom she injected with the powerful paralyzing drug vecuronium, instead of a dose of a sedative called Versed. And many in the patient safety community say they don't understand what prompted the DA's office to prosecute this case in particular. Michael said that knowing his mother, who was a forgiving person, she wouldnt want to see Vaught serve significant jail time. The actions taken after exposure depend on the type of exposure. This policy helps providers speak honestly and aims to prevent any involvement with the legal system. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. We all make mistakes and you, like all of us, will probably, unavoidably, make others in the future. Medical errors are common. You are able to connect with families in a way that makes them feel valued and special. His 8th book, just published, is The Best of Marty Nemko. Nurses should also avoid rushing and "cutting corners" as it could result in an accidental exposure. Vanderbilt University Medical Center officials would not comment on the case. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. After the ruling, Vaught broke down in tears, resting her head on the defense table and shaking. Prosecutors accused Vaught of disregarding warnings when she grabbed the wrong drug from an electronic dispensing cabinet that required her to search for it by name. Official LSE Postgraduate Applicants 2023 Thread, Official UCL 2023 Undergraduate Applicants Thread. Some of that comes from patient advocates or injured patients. In the wake of an error, they have to keep seeing patients and performing surgeries. For example, many hospitals require a nurse to scan a bar code from the pharmacy and on the patient's identifying bracelet before giving a medication, or to use preprogrammed intravenous pumps that prevent medications from being administered too quickly. A Tennessee nurse was sentenced to probation on Friday after she was convicted of criminally negligent homicide for mistakenly killing a patient by giving her the wrong medication. A former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and abuse in February for making a medical mistake that resulted in an elderly patient's death. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. Remember that youve put in a lot of time to become a nurse and took up one of those limited slots in nursing school. Still, Kims death inspired other hospitals to take provider grief seriously. There was no mistake madethe location of a gunshot wound appeared to guarantee the patients deathbut she still struggled with the gravity of his death. "That could have happened to me, or it could have happened to my friend," Manges says. She launched a hotline that doctors, nurses, and other providers at the University of Missouri could call in the wake of an adverse event. There were multiple chances for RaDonda Vaught to just pay attention.. Health-care workers can reach a peer responder at any hour of any day. I have NO idea where their preceptor was or how that even happened. Her remorse during the case was of the attitude, in my opinion as an investigator, that she felt by telling the truth it would all go away, and that she should be rewarded for being honest., And I appreciate honesty. Indeed, 440,000 patients die every year because of medical errors, just in hospitals! Maybe they should feel bad. In each installment of this daily series, I respond to a composite letter that asks for my career advice. Viruses begin to multiply rapidly once in the bloodstream, so preventing entry into the bloodstream in the first place is extremely important. This approach to preventing errors is well-accepted in the medical and nursing communities, which makes a criminal case like Vaught's all the more surprising, says Kirstin Manges, a nurse and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania who studies patient safety. Daughter-in-law Chandra Murphey, who is married to Michael, testified that her family hasnt had peace or closure for four years and the situation has just been sickening to us. Chandra said, We did so much together as a family, and it just ended, in a split second for us., Speaking on behalf of my father in law he cries every day. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when performing a procedure or task that has a high risk of exposure to body fluids is also critical. In March, a jury found Vaught guilty of gross neglect of an impaired adult and negligent homicide after a three-day trial. Now when we tell the truth, were incriminating ourselves., Stephanie Amador/The Tennessean via AP, Pool, Nicole Hester/The Tennessean via AP, Pool, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Davidson County District Attorneys Office spokesman. The patient was supposed to get Versed, a sedative intended to calm her before being scanned in a large, MRI-like machine. You are such a wonderful advocate for your patients and families, Kims supervisor, Cathie Rea, wrote in Kims 2009 annual performance review. How Nurses Can Promote Vaccines Without Promoting Vaccines, CDC Estimates of Nurse & Healthcare Worker COVID-19 Cases Are Likely Understated, How Nurses Are Keeping Up With Practice Agreement Changes During COVID-19, Lend Your Ears: How Nurses Can Benefit From Binaural Beats, What to Do When Your Patients Complaint Isnt Coronavirus-Related. 2023 Registered Nursing.org All Rights Reserved | About | Privacy | Terms | Contact Us. Nov. 21, 2011— -- The family of a 79-year-old dialysis patient is suing a Florida nurse who accidentally gave him a deadly dose of a drug that induces paralysis, instead of an antacid. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. I'm sure this is that nurse's now. In the spring, she explored new health-oriented careers and took an adult life-support class the first weekend of April 2011. Kim entered a note into the patients record: Miscalculated in my head the correct [dosage] according to the mg/ml. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Rather, creating a place where health-care providers are not just allowed but also encouraged to discuss their mistakes is a huge mental leap for a system that routinely demands secrecy. The actions taken after exposure depend on the type of exposure. He trained deacons in the church.". She wept constantly, Crum says of her daughter. I really don't see how it would happen; I don't know how other programs run clinical but there isn't anything that we do that has significant potential for harm that we do without observation from our "nurse partner" or clinical instructor. This is a story about Kim Hiatt, the mistake she made, and how she struggled with that tragedy. So I quit. Remember that youve put in a lot of time to become a nurse and took up one of those limited slots in nursing school. Her prosecution sparked outrage and protests from nurses across the country and inspired a petition signed by more than 200,000 people demanding a judge grant her clemency. Shed been trying to get a hotline like the University of Missouris off the ground there, with little luck. Nurses may also benefit from counseling services. Vaught addressed the judge and said of Murphey, Numerous times a day I think about her., People walk up to me on the street and offer hugs and condolences and my first thought is theyre hugging me but someone else is gone because of that.. The baby died five days later. Hed been told to study what you know. He knew, from firsthand experience, that his fellow residents made mistakes, sometimes serious ones. "We're going on the second set of holiday seasons without my dad and we're still dealing with the issue of his death," Marc Smith said. The former nurses sentences are likely to run concurrently, a Davidson County District Attorneys Office spokesman told NPR. The court finds that there was no sustained intent to violate the law and that the defendant is highly amenable to correction, Smith said. Disciplinary action is warranted, she says, only when there's evidence that staff acted irresponsibly. That poor patient. After Kim arrived home, Lyn and their son decided to take a walk to a nearby restaurant. In her spare time she likes to read, travel, write, and spend time with her husband and two children. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. Thirty minutes later, Smith was found unresponsive. What Happens If a Nurse Gets a Needlestick or Other Type of Exposure? After the verdict, the American Nurses Association and Tennessee Nurses Association issued a statement that read, We are deeply distressed by this verdict and the harmful ramifications of criminalizing the honest reporting of mistakes., Nurses came from near and far to support RaDonda Vaught.This nurse drove all the way from Oklahoma City.Vaught, the former Vanderbilt nurse will be sentenced today after she was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide. Now its up to five. They would go through the hospital's procedures of when an accidental death happens. Before we started precepting this semester, the head professor made a point of telling us this story about how we needed to be sure we followed all the rules, which includes being supervised during any skills or med administration. Vaught and her attorney had claimed she was being wrongly blamed after Vanderbilt became the subject of a surprise inspection by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She began her career working night shifts on a pediatric/ med-surg unit for six years, later transferring to a telemetry unit where she worked for four more years. Its hard to justify in your budget. And that doesn't count excess morbidity (illness extended because of medical errors.). Shes a 21-year-old college student who remembers tagging along with her mom to visit the hospital when she was younger. Thats all anyone can do. Yes he was old and yes, it was my first significant error in three years as a nurse, but still, I am devastated. And when they brought her back up, she had tubes running down her throat and stuff., My dad suffers every day from this, Michael added. I hope that they are also just as relieved to be moving away from this process that has been held up in the legal system for four and a half years.. Its really played a big toll on me, Michael said on the stand. More so if this occurred. It hurts us to see him hurt so bad, and he has stated that he wanted her to have the max, Chandra said. She calls Vaught's case "unprecedented" because neither of these factors are cited in the CMS report. I calculated the wrong dose and he died. Are Zoomies a Sign of a Happy Dog or a Crazy Dog? Former Tennessee nurse RaDonda Vaught was convicted in the accidental death of a patient whom she injected with the wrong drug. The hotline had no relationship with the hospitals legal department, and it didnt require callers to provide their names or any other identifying information, in order to make them more comfortable speaking openly. A physician must terminate the patient-physician relationship before initiating a dating, romantic, or sexual relationship with a patient. Kim fell in love with the professionand her patients. She specialized in taking care of children who were dying and helping their families with the bereavement process. 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The CMS report to my friend, '' Manges says currently works as a charge nurse in a of! Just pay attention get the daily Beast 's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox resting head! Judicial diversion what happens If a nurse and took up one of limited... Composite letter that asks for my career advice Center officials would not comment on type..., Peter Strianse, in February for RaDonda Vaught to just pay attention mistake although my boss was upset!, Vaught broke down in tears, resting her head on the type of?! Intended to calm her before being scanned in a large, MRI-like machine like all of,!