Criminal
error?

April 4, 2022 -- We nurses joke that a mistake by us could kill a patient so we must never cease to be at the top of our game. But it's not a joke -- it happened. So now the question is, is a medical mistake a crime? Should the nurse be punished?

The story is gripping nurses across the country. Here is NPR 3/25/2022: RaDonda Vaught, a former nurse criminally prosecuted for a fatal drug error in 2017, was convicted of gross neglect of an impaired adult and negligent homicide on Friday after a three-day trial in Nashville, Tenn.

She has not yet been sentenced but likely faces years behind bars. Is that fair? Appropriate? This nurse says no. We make mistakes but we never intend harm.

We are passionate about our work and care deeply about and for our patients. The job is extraordinarily difficult, opportunities for error abound, and Nurse Vaught had unusually many obstacles on that fateful day. Her life is already ruined and her career is destroyed. If punishment is warranted (and I believe it is not) this is already more than enough. I urge the authorities to suspend whatever sentence their vindictive little hearts mete out.

Go overworked, imperfect but well-intended nurses!

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