RaDonda Vaught

 In 2017, nurse RaDonda Vaught was criminally prosecuted for a fatal drug error. On March 25, 2022 a jury found Ms. Vaught guilty on two charges of criminally negligent homicide and abuse of an impaired adult (Muoio). She now faces up to eight years in prison. 

Now what did she do? In December 2017, a woman named Charlene Murphy, age 75, was admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for a brain injury. During the time of error, Mrs. Murphey's condition was improving and she was being prepared for discharge from the hospital. She was prescribed a sedative called Versed, to calm her down before being scanned by an MRI. 

Nurse Vaught was asked to retrieve the Versed, instead she accidentally grabbed a medication called Vecuronium. Both drugs look very similar don't they? Vecuronium just happened to be a powerful paralyzer. Vaught injected the patient with the drug and left for her to be scanned. By the time the error was discovered, Murphey was brain-dead (Kelman).

Nurse RaDonda Vaught's conviction quickly received condemnation from medical professionals, each stating that, "criminal charges for non-intentional medical errors are a 'dangerous precedent' and a deterrent for future recruiting" (Kelman). This ruling will have a long lasting effect on medical professions.

The IHI, or Institute for Healthcare Improvement, encourages transparent reporting of mistakes so organizations can improve, learn, and minimize damage. However, with this ruling no medical professional will be transparent for fear of major jail time. This could potentially cause even more healthcare mistakes.

The medical profession is already suffering from a labor shortage, like every other business in the United States currently. This standing is making it even harder for hospitals to find good workers. Many nurses and other healthcare professionals are quitting, at this rate we will have very few medical personnel to help with any injury or illness. 

Are we not supposed to be taking care of these healthcare workers like they take care of us?

Every human makes mistakes. Imagine if everyone faced jail time for an honest mistake at work, how would that change the way America and other countries run? No business would be able to properly function.