Calling the loss of life of 75-yr-historical patient Charlene Murphey a “awful, awful mistake,” a Tennessee judge sentenced vulnerable nurse RaDonda Vaught, RN, to three years of supervised probation on Friday.
Sooner than sentencing, a tearful Vaught, 38, requested for leniency and apologized for the predominant time to the Murphey family. “I’m sorry I have no longer mentioned this sooner. I’m sorry for what you lost. Your mother, spouse, grandmother did no longer deserve that…I’m sorry you do no longer have any longer heard from me sooner than. I’m by no formulation, ever forgetting my role in this.”
RaDonda Vaught
The sentencing also integrated statements from relatives about the affect on them and Murphey’s husband. They mentioned Murphey establish no longer have wanted Vaught to relief detention middle time but her husband wanted the most sentence.
Friday’s testimony also centered on a perjury price in opposition to Vaught in 2020 that stemmed from a gun permit she modified into denied because she did no longer file she modified into below indictment for a felony or any crime that can perchance end result in detention middle time.
In studying her sentencing decision, Assert Jennifer Smith eminent that Vaught, a vulnerable ICU nurse at Vanderbilt College Clinical Center, “will no longer ever again be in the position to attain this fatal error,” as she modified into stripped of her nursing license.
“[Vaught had] no sustained intent to violate the law, is extremely amenable to correction, has no felony document, is faraway from the healthcare environment, and she is going to no longer ever note nursing again,” mentioned Smith. “This field will no longer ever be repeated by Ms. Vaught.”
The judge also hoped that her decision would have wider implications. Smith mentioned going forward, she hoped adjustments in medical health insurance policies, along with how medicines are saved, “will mitigate this from ever happening again.”
After issuing the sentence of three years supervised probation with diversion — which formulation the conviction would possibly furthermore be disregarded at a later date — Vaught openly wept in court docket.
Originate air of the court, nurses from across the nation who gathered for the verdict cheered loudly.
Vaught modified into discovered guilty March 25 of two felonies, criminally negligent homicide, and contaminated neglect for making a fatal medicines mistake that impress Murphey her life. Murphey modified into purported to receive Versed (midazolam) to ease her ache, but modified into given the paralytic drug vecuronium, which averted her from breathing. She had entered the health middle with a brain damage, in step with news reports.
Vaught modified into fired from the health middle and closing summer season, the Tennessee Board of Nursing unanimously voted to revoke her license.
After just a few hours of testimony from witnesses and Vaught, summation by the attorneys, and a period of non-public deliberation Friday, Smith pronounced the sentence. The defense had argued for probation and the prosecution urged 3 to 6 years, but left the time in custody as much as the judge.
Previous reports indicated that Vaught would possibly face as much as 8 years in detention middle for the error.
The trial integrated testimony from about a nurse witnesses who painted Vaughn as a caring, compassionate nurse who went above and former for her patients — and quickly admitted her accountability in the medical error that led to Murphey’s loss of life.
Vaught beneficial the court docket Friday that “caring for the patient and the family is an integral portion of my on a regular foundation life. I take care of of us as if I modified into one [of them]. That day I let Charlene Murphey down. I let her family down. I let myself down.”
She mentioned she lost extra than her license and her profession after the incident. “I will no longer ever be the same. When Ms. Murphey died a portion of me died along with her,” she mentioned, sniffling and having to cease just a few events at some point soon of her testimony to envision herself.
“I even have replayed my mistakes over and over again…This has been the most horrifying skills of my life and on the same time the most humbling skills of my life.”
However Vaught also argued for leniency, “I will no longer ever be ready to note nursing again. I’m no longer a threat to public security.” She also expressed her challenge about the cease of her case on healthcare personnel and patients.
Originate air the courthouse, supporters of Vaught carrying red “Nurse Steady” T-shirts, among others, sat on the garden while others advocated in decide of the RN and waited for the verdict to be launched.
