Claire Dawson
Rumours of a mass nurse walkout at Vanderbilt Hospital were sparked on 30 March 2022, with several people claiming to have heard about the walkout from others. However, there was no media coverage of the event, and one person's manager laughed at the idea. The walkout was speculated to be in response to the criminal trial and sentencing of a nurse at Vanderbilt.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 March 2022 |
| Location | Vanderbilt Hospital, Nashville |
| Reason | Criminal trial and sentencing of RaDonda Vaught |
| Media Coverage | None |
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What You'll Learn
- RaDonda Vaught, a former Vanderbilt nurse, was charged with reckless homicide
- Vaught accidentally administered vecuronium, a powerful paralytic, instead of Versed, a sedative
- Vanderbilt tried to cover up the incident and paid off the family quietly
- Vanderbilt nurses walked out in protest of Vaught's trial and sentencing
- Nurses worry about the precedent set by Vaught's trial and the criminalization of medical errors
RaDonda Vaught, a former Vanderbilt nurse, was charged with reckless homicide
RaDonda Vaught, a former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was charged with reckless homicide and felony abuse of an impaired adult after administering the wrong medication to a patient. The patient, 75-year-old Charlene Murphey, died in December 2017, the day after being injected with vecuronium, a powerful paralyzing agent, instead of the prescribed sedative, Versed. Vaught admitted her mistake, saying she had become “complacent” and “distracted” while operating the electronic medication cabinet. She also claimed that the error was possible due to technical problems and flawed procedures at Vanderbilt.
Vaught's trial sparked concern among nurses across the U.S., who worried that it could set a precedent for criminally charging healthcare professionals for medical errors. The case against Vaught centred on her use of an electronic medication cabinet, a computerized device that dispenses drugs. Vaught initially searched for "VE" in the cabinet, which was the incorrect name for the medication she intended to retrieve. When the cabinet did not produce the desired medication, she triggered an override, unlocking a wider range of medications. This action was described by prosecutors as reckless and formed the basis for the reckless homicide charge.
Vaught testified that overrides were a common practice at Vanderbilt, where nurses were instructed to use them due to delays caused by an upgrade to the hospital's electronic health records system. She argued that the error was a result of systemic issues and should not be solely attributed to her as an individual. The jury ultimately found Vaught not guilty of reckless homicide but convicted her of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult.
The verdict in the Vaught case had a significant impact on the healthcare industry, particularly among nurses. Many expressed fear and anxiety about the potential consequences of making accidental mistakes in their practice. There were concerns that the criminalization of medical errors would discourage clinicians from admitting and reporting mistakes, hindering process improvement and patient safety initiatives. The case highlighted the complexities of balancing accountability for medical errors with the need to create an environment that encourages transparency and continuous improvement in healthcare.
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Vaught accidentally administered vecuronium, a powerful paralytic, instead of Versed, a sedative
RaDonda Vaught, a former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult for the 2017 death of 75-year-old patient Charlene Murphey. Vaught accidentally administered vecuronium, a powerful paralytic, instead of Versed, an anti-anxiety sedative that Murphey had been prescribed.
On December 26, 2017, Murphey was at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for a brain injury and was scheduled to get a PET scan. She requested medication to control her anxiety. Vaught attempted to withdraw Versed from a medication cabinet by typing "VE" into its search function without realizing that she should have been searching for its generic name, midazolam. When the cabinet did not dispense Versed, Vaught triggered an override, unlocking a wider range of medications. She then searched for "VE" again, and the cabinet offered vecuronium. Vaught then administered an injection of vecuronium before leaving Murphey to be scanned.
Vecuronium is a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker and a powerful muscle paralyzer, which can have prolonged effects in older populations. After receiving the paralytic dose, Murphey lost consciousness, suffered cardiac arrest, and was ultimately left brain dead. She died the next day.
Vaught admitted that she made a mistake and apologized to Murphey's family, saying, "Saying 'I'm sorry' doesn't seem like enough... But you deserve to hear that. You deserve to know that I am very sorry for what happened." Vaught also insisted that the error was possible due to technical problems and flawed procedures at Vanderbilt. She testified that overrides were common at the hospital and that a 2017 upgrade to the electronic health records system caused delays at medication cabinets. Vaught's case has been closely watched by nurses across the U.S., who worry it could set a precedent for future prosecutions and discourage clinicians from admitting mistakes.
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Vanderbilt tried to cover up the incident and paid off the family quietly
In 2022, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) nurse RaDonda Vaught was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult in the 2017 death of 75-year-old Charlene Murphey. Vaught had mistakenly injected Murphey with the paralyzing drug vecuronium instead of the anti-anxiety sedative Versed, leading to her death.
Following the incident, Vaught was fired from VUMC and arrested for her role in Murphey's death. She was subsequently charged with reckless homicide and felony abuse of an impaired adult. The case against Vaught hinged on her use of an electronic medication cabinet, where she initially tried to withdraw Versed by typing "VE" into its search function without realizing she should have been searching for its generic name, midazolam. When the cabinet did not produce Versed, Vaught triggered an override, which unlocked a larger selection of medications. This included vecuronium, which she mistakenly administered to Murphey.
VUMC leadership did not report the incident as mandated and tried to cover up what happened. They negotiated an out-of-court settlement with Murphey's family, prohibiting them from speaking publicly about the death. VUMC also paid off Murphey's two sons, and an NDA was signed to keep them quiet. The hospital's actions protected the institution while throwing the nurse under the bus, as one source put it.
The case against Vaught has been closely watched by nurses across the U.S., who worry it could set a dangerous precedent for the criminalization of medical errors and discourage clinicians from admitting mistakes. Many nurses feel that Vanderbilt tried to cover up the incident and shift the blame onto Vaught to protect their reputation and avoid accountability for their own shortcomings and incompetent systems.
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Vanderbilt nurses walked out in protest of Vaught's trial and sentencing
In March 2022, several nurses at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) walked out in protest of the trial and sentencing of their former colleague, RaDonda Vaught. Vaught, a former nurse at VUMC, was charged with reckless homicide and felony abuse of an impaired adult after administering the wrong medication to a patient, resulting in the patient's death.
The walkout was in response to the perceived injustice of criminalizing a medical error and the concern that it could set a precedent for future prosecutions of healthcare professionals. Nurses across the United States feared that they could face similar criminal charges for making accidental mistakes in the course of their work.
During her trial, Vaught admitted to making the error of administering vecuronium, a powerful paralyzer, instead of Versed, the prescribed sedative. However, she argued that the error was possible due to technical problems and flawed procedures at Vanderbilt. Specifically, Vaught claimed that overrides were a common practice at Vanderbilt, and that she had been instructed to use them to circumvent delays in accessing medication.
The jury found Vaught not guilty of reckless homicide but guilty of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult. The verdict caused concern among healthcare workers, who feared that it would discourage clinicians from admitting mistakes and lead to a chilling effect on error reporting.
While the walkout at Vanderbilt Hospital was in response to Vaught's trial and sentencing, it also highlighted broader issues within the healthcare system, including the criminalization of medical errors, the pressure and overwork faced by nurses, and the potential for errors in complex medical systems.
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Nurses worry about the precedent set by Vaught's trial and the criminalization of medical errors
In March 2022, former Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) nurse RaDonda Vaught was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect of an impaired adult. The conviction was in connection with the death of 75-year-old Charlene Murphey, who died at VUMC in December 2017. Vaught had mistakenly injected Murphey with vecuronium—a powerful paralyzer—instead of Versed, an anti-anxiety sedative.
Vaught's trial and conviction have been a cause for concern for nurses across the United States. They worry that it sets a dangerous precedent for the criminalization of medical errors. Indeed, Vaught's case is a rare instance of a healthcare professional facing criminal charges and potential imprisonment for a medical error. Typically, such errors are handled by professional licensing boards or civil courts.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) has expressed concern about the potential for "criminalizing the honest reporting of mistakes," adding that the ruling will likely "have a long-lasting negative impact on the profession." Nurses fear that if they report medical errors, they will be subject to harsh repercussions or even criminal penalties. This could, in turn, make hiring more challenging and exacerbate existing labor shortages in the nursing profession.
Some nurses also believe that Vaught's case highlights the need for system solutions to issues surrounding medication errors. Vaught herself has pointed out that the error was possible due to technical problems and flawed procedures at VUMC. Following her conviction, manufacturers of medication cabinets modified the software to require up to five letters to be typed when searching for drugs during an override. However, not all hospitals have implemented this safeguard.
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Frequently asked questions
It is unclear whether nurses walked out at Vanderbilt Hospital. Some sources mention a "mass nurse walkout", but others claim this is \"total bunk".
If there was a walkout, it was likely in protest of the criminal trial and sentencing of nurse RaDonda Vaught, who was convicted of reckless homicide and felony abuse of an impaired adult after a medication error killed a patient.
Vaught was charged with reckless homicide and felony abuse of an impaired adult. She was convicted of the lesser charge of negligent homicide.
Vaught admitted her mistake, saying she became \"complacent\" in her job and \"distracted\" by a trainee when operating the medication cabinet. She also claimed that Vanderbilt instructed nurses to use overrides to obtain medication, which contributed to the error.
