Category: Nursing

PLN Blog’s 6th Anniversary!

I’m excited to share today is the 6th anniversary of the blog! Hard to believe I have been writing on my own little corner of the internet for the past 6 years. I have learned and grown a lot during my time on the blog. I love writing post about my experiences as well as researching and sharing.

Today I’m share a blog post from each year I have had the blog as a little trip down memory lane. Hopefully you’ll find something that interests you!

Hello World!

2016- My first blog I ever posted. I was working PRN as an LPN and a full time RN student. Life was busy, but good. 🙂

The History & Meaning Behind the Pinning Ceremony

2017- This is one of my most viewed post on the blog! I share about the history and meaning behind the nursing pinning ceremony. This was also the year I graduated nursing school and received my pin for my RN program.

2018- Sadly, I have nothing to share from 2018! I was a  RN working at the hospital and worried way to much about what people would think of my blog. I was so worried about someone I worked with finding the blog, I didn’t blog for over a year. Luckily, I worked through that anxiety and got back to blogging.

A Look Back at 2019

2019- This year I got back to the blog and it was one of the best (and sadly worst) years of our life. We both had good jobs, we got married, had amazing celebrations with family and friends, and went on an incredible honeymoon. Sadly, we said goodbye to our dog Southpaw after a four month battle with cancer. I still miss him everyday. I shared a look back of the high and lows of the year in this blog post.

Culbertson’s Go Tiny

2020- The year the pandemic hit and the world changed. We purchased an RV, packed up our family, and went to Washington D.C. for me to work as a travel nurse. It was the year of staying home but also the year of adventure for us.

Stepping Away from Nursing

2021- This year we spent in the sunshine state and I worked at a hospital less than a mile from the ocean. We loved being close to the beach and water, watching rocket launches, and continuing our adventure of living tiny. My mental health took a turn through the delta wave and I decided to step away from nursing for a bit. I shared my thoughts on this blog post, it’s another one of my most read to date.

2022- This year has been a year full of ups and downs as well. I tested positive for Covid in January and have been having long haul symptoms since. It’s not the year we hoped for, but the blog has been making a lot of progress and I started the Nurses Supporting Nurses: Support Group.

Behind the Covid Unit Doors- One Nurse’s Perspective

This was a deep post, but one that I am most proud of. I think it’s important to share our experiences to help others find comfort and healing in the cumulative trauma that has occurred the past two years.

Future of the Blog- I look forward to seeing how PLN grows in the future. I have a lot of ideas for both this blog and expanding Nurses Supporting Nurses beyond the support group. Thank you to anyone who has supported my blog and writing and taken the time to read, share, or comment on my posts. It really means so much to me.

 

4 Simple Nature Practices to Heal the Weary Nurse: Guest Blog Post

Who cares for the nurse when the nurse has been so overstretched, she/he feels more like a Gumby doll that can no longer snap back?  Mother Nature, that’s who.

Indigenous cultures have long recognized the healing power of nature.  Ancient spiritual texts, including the Bible, often refer to the need to be with nature to restore.  Even our modern-day founding nurse leaders, Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale were known to use nature in their practice.  Seacole used many herbal remedies to help the wounded Crimean War soldiers.   Nightingale believed that pure air, pure water, and light were some of the essential things necessary for a healthy healing environment and is quoted as stating, “nature alone cures.”

Many of us, including nurses, have steered away from many of the simple healing practices that nature offers.  Let’s take a look at a few that may be just what you could use now.

Earthing– after a long day of walking perhaps miles, no nurse wants to hear go for a walk in nature, although that has been shown to ease stress and improve well-being.  But, what about taking a yoga mat or a towel, finding a place in nature to lie down, a beach, or a patch of grass?  Yup, it’s that simple, lie down or sit on a beach chair and let your bare feet make direct contact with the earth.  Can you allow yourself twenty minutes to just be?  The benefits of earthing include reducing inflammation, pain, and stress.  Studies also show that it helps improve sleep, blood flow, and vitality.  

Cloud watching-while you are there on the ground allowing your body to connect with the earth’s healing energy, allow your eyes to gaze up at the sky and watch the clouds.  Allowing your mind to simply watch the clouds stroll by, morphing into various shapes and sizes, can reduce stress.  There is even a Ted Talk on the subject.

Birdsong-any natural sound can help us let go and trigger our mind to relax.  While the sound of soft rolling waves or falling rain may dissolve tension, birdsong has been found to have the greatest benefit on our mental health.  It’s best to try and get your dose of an avian symphony outdoors, but if that is not possible check out nature sounds on your music app or YouTube.

Water-get in, on, near, or underwater to help get into a state of Blue Mind.  Paddle, SUP, Dive, Boat, Swim, Surf, Fish, Float, Water the Garden, the possibilities are endless.  Water has the ability to dissolve stress and convert us into a state of peace.

To learn more about how connecting with nature enhances our health, well-being, and adds more joy to our lives, visit www.TheNatureNurse.com.

My Experience Working in Long-Term Care as a Nurse

The Christann Gainey, LPN case has a lot of people talking, like all the sad and scary charges against nurses right now. I am hearing a lot of nurses placing the sole blame on the nurse for falsifying records. And I agree- that is not something nurses should do. But what they don’t understand, is the impossible situation that working in a long term care facility puts you in as a nurse or CNA. Hospitals are understaffed and in crisis, but long term care has been that way for a long, long time.

A quick lesson in terminology.

CNA= Certified Nursing Assistant LPN= License Practical Nurse LTC= Long Term Care SNF= Skilled Nursing Facility

My Experience

I worked in a SNF (skilled nursing facility aka nursing home) on their Transitional Care Unit as a fresh out of school, just turned 22 year old LPN. They gave me four days of orientation. Yes, you read that right. Four. Then, left me alone with one CNA on a unit of 22 patients. I took care of people who were coming out of the hospital post stroke, hip/knee repair, anyone needed inpatient physical/occupational/speech therapy. I also had patient that needed things like long term antibiotics. I worked for a short time on the long term unit when I was burn out on TCU and had a difference of opinion on some management issues. When I was in school, I worked PRN day shift on all the units. I also would work as a admission/discharge nurse. I completed all the admissions and discharges and also processed all the orders for the day. The TCU was so busy this was a full, 12 hour job on Fridays (and could have been every day).

A Night on the Unit

I worked 7p-7a for most of my time in LTC. The shifts were busy. Med pass to 22 patients is something I never want to have to do again. And you do it all- blood sugar checks, medication administration, and breathing treatments. Trach care, PICC dressing, wound care- also done by you. I spent a lot of my time answering call lights and helping change people, turn people, take people to the bathroom, etc. I obviously am always happy to help my CNA do these things- they also had 20-24 patients. We both were barely getting by to keep everyone safe. Add in charting on every patient on TCU (paper charting at that), chart checks, admissions, faxing orders and medications to pharmacy, having to send people to the hospital if they were sick or in distress. It was just to much at times.

Admission are always a lot of work, but in LTC you have to do it all. You settle the patient, assess/evaluate, and tons of paperwork. At night, you also have to call the on-call provider to verify medications, write out the order for the medications, fax it to pharmacy, fill out the lab sheet, and enter medications on the MAR. This is usually happening while you’re also suppose to be passing medications to 22 patients. And everyone wants to go to the bathroom and go to bed.

Assisting with a PICC line insertion in SNF

Belittled as an LPN

I have had people say such mean things to me about being an LPN. Talking down to me, telling me I’m “not a real nurse,” saying I’m “just an LPN.” And I HATE this type of language about LPNs and feel passionate no one should say these things. I would defend other LPNs, but I just got tired of defending myself. So once I became an RN, I stopped talking about it. I even hesitated to answer with my LPN years counted when asked how long I have been a nurse. Which is so sad, and not okay. As people and nurses- we need to do better. LPNs are amazing and have taught me so much throughout my career.

There was Good, Too

I want to say- I worked with some truly amazing people at this job. I learned SO much from the LPNs, RNs, and CNAs I worked with. We had some really good times together. I went from being a baby nurse, to being a seasoned nurse. I started to learn my love of helping new nurses and teaching. I got invaluable experience that helped me in my transition to being an RN and working in the hospital. I had trach experience, PICC dressing changes, medication administration, admission & discharges, communicating with physicians, and more. I am so thankful for that time. I still think of some of the patients and residents I cared for. They made a profound impact on me as a nurse and person. I still think of some of my favorite coworkers. I do miss them. I just don’t miss the unrealistic ratios.

Advocate for Change

It is no surprise Nurse Gainey couldn’t complete neurological checks with 39 other residents. It’s absolutely ridiculous. That number is not even reasonable for a floor nurse with 1:5, yet alone 1:39. The system set her up for failure. And while people say don’t document it if you can’t do it, that’s usually not accepted in LTC by management. And right or wrong, people need jobs. And many LPNs, many who are BIPOC, don’t have many other opportunities. They have children to take care of and need the income being a nurse brings. The system is truly broken and it is never the system that is punished. Anything that goes wrong- staff is “reeducated.” Unrealistic policies are set in place for staff to follow. But actual problems aren’t addressed- like lack of staff and resources. I hope to see it change someday. I am working on a followup post with more thoughts on Nurse Gainey and the poor management of long term care.

Thank you if you made it this far. And thank you to the amazing staff- from dietary to activities to therapy to nurses/CNAs/providers and everyone in between- who care for our geriatric long term residents and patients. You all are so amazing and doing such important work. I truly appreciate you. THANK YOU.

 

Christann Gainey, LPN Criminal Charges

Background

Christann Gainey, LPN was caring for Herbert R. McMaster SR., an 84 year old Resident of Cathedral Village senior living facility in Philadelphia in April 2018. He suffered a fall, hit his head, and died hours later due to a brain bleed. This was the Resident’s fifth fall in four days. Gainey was a staffing agency nurse on duty the night of McMaster’s death. Per facility policy- she was to perform neurological and vital sign checks periodically. Gainey pleaded guilty to falsifying records to show she had done the neuro checks. Video footage showed that Gainey was not near McMaster’s at the documented time of the neurological checks. During this shift, Gainey was caring for 39 residents. Thirty nine people. McMaster’s was found dead around 7:15 am. Per report, CPR was not started and the patient did not have a documented code status.

Plea Deal

Gainey took a please deal and plead guilty to misdemeanor neglect of a care-dependent person and tampering with records. She was sentenced to six months house arrest followed by four years of probation. She is barred from reinstatement of her license or working in a care facility during this time. 

Concerns

The concerns are much the same that we saw in the RaDonda Vaught Criminal Trial. Criminalizing nurses for errors is a very dangerous precedent to set and it rightfully has nurses concerned. We already are used as hospital scape goats, and now there is legal precedent that medication errors and system failures are not only the nurses fault, but that the nurse is criminally liable as well. An innocent mistake and a system that sets you up for failure- can land you in jail. For simply trying to do your job. Nurses go into this field to help people. Except for the very, very few nurses who intentionally kill patients (think Dr. Death status), mistakes should NOT land you in jail.

There is also a great concern with this case that the facility is in no way being held responsible (again, like the Vaught criminal trial). The product of a failed system is being placed on one single nurse. It’s a disgrace and yet again another very sad day for the nursing profession. The nurse was caring for THIRTY NINE residents. Neurological checks per this facilities protocol would be almost impossible at hospital’s 1:5 patient ratio. 1:39 is absolutely impossible. The resident (in my opinion) should have been sent to the hospital for a head CT and close observation. There was no policy stating this, and the on call provider did not order this when they finally returned the nurses call 2 hours later. There were multiple failures here.

I have a lot to share and say about long term care facilities and how grossly understaffed they are. I worked as an LPN for four years in long term care (and also as a CNA) so I have personal experience in this. I know how the system sets you up for failure. I have felt the intense stress of caring for to many patients with little to no help. And working for administrators who to put it bluntly- do not care about you.

I will be sharing more in a blog post in the next few days, but I am sending Nurse Gainey love. And I hope she knows this was the result of a failed system, not her alone.

What are your thoughts on this case? Have you ever work long term care?

 

References:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nurse-pleads-guilty-fatal-fall-mcmasters-father-83745387

https://wjactv.com/news/local/nurse-pleads-guilty-in-fatal-fall-of-mcmasters-father

Click to access 9M8T1134272156600L.PDF

NSN Support Group: Session 1

The Nurses Supporting Nurses Support Group had its last meeting of our first session last night. I am so thankful and proud of the amazing people who have joined us over the past four weeks. The group decided we will continue to meet over so we will be starting another session next week for another four weeks! I am so excited to continue this group and would love to continue to grow!

Support Group Info:

  • Weekly meeting every Wednesday 8pm-9pm EST
  • Virtual meeting via Google Meet
  • Safe space to come as you are and find community and support
  • Weekly Email that includes journal prompts and self care

We currently are a small group and I would like to keep it this way. If the group continues to grow, I will open a second group to keep the numbers small. I feel this allows people to be more comfortable sharing. If you are a healthcare worker interested in joining, please sign up below! If you have any questions, send me a message. I would be happy to talk to you and hopefully have you join us!

 

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Reflection: RaDonda Vaught Trial

Background

If you haven’t heard about the RaDonda Vaught trial, you can read my recent blog post. She is a nurse who was criminally tried for an unintentional medical error. There is rightful concern for the precedent this could set for the future of nursing.

Charlene Murphey

Charlene Murphey, 75 years old, was the women who passed from the medical error. I saw a great set of stories from Patrick Mc, RN on Instagram that made me really think about how we present our frustrations from the criminal charges and show our support for RaDonda. He pointed out the importance of saying Charlene Murphey’s name, and not losing sight of the tragedy of her unnecessary death. As nurses, we are above seeing patient’s as a number. And the unnecessary grief and pain of her family and friends. I truly send love to the family of Charlene Murphey and I am so truly sorry the system failed her and them. It is something I hope we will continue to work on to make healthcare safer for both staff and patients.

Charges

It seems to be the general consensus RaDonda did not deserve to have criminal charges. It’s also a general consensus she made a very grave, negligent mistake. She is not a murderer. She was a caring nurse. She made an honest mistake. It’s important to use this as a way to better our practice as nurses and the system we nurse in. It’s important to not lose just culture in the healthcare system to help keep patients safe. Healthcare workers having the fear of reporting an error is terming.

Vanderbilt did not report the error appropriately. A surgeon put the cause of death as a brain bleed. They only reported and began to make appropriate changes when CMS threatened to pull funding. They are not being charged. The only person being charged, is the nurse who was honest, ethical, and admitted her error. She is being used as the scapegoat for the hospital. And it should scare every nurse that a Medical Error could fall as solely the fault of the nurse. If you think “I would never do xyz.” You could. We all have made mistakes or had near misses. Thankfully, most of them do not result in death. So while you may not give the wrong med, there could be another error. And the hospital could hold you reliable. And you could go to criminal court. It’s something we all should be concerned with.

Future of Nursing

The American Nurse Association  released a statement that actually agreed with what most nurses are fearing at this moment. They stated, ““We are deeply distressed by this verdict and the harmful ramifications of criminalizing the honest reporting of mistakes.” They go on to say health care delivery is highly complex and mistakes are inevitable and systems can fail. Mistakes are inevitable and it’s unrealistic to think otherwise. This verdict sets a dangerous precedent in motion.

I have read, listened, and received messages about nurses concerned about the future of nursing and their livelihood. Nurses considering leaving the bedside or nursing all togehter. They say there is an uneasiness on the floor after this verdict. I agree she made a terrible mistake. Ms. Murphey died in a horrible way. Her family has suffered. There should be repercussion, investigations, and changes to a very broken system. BUT, she should have never been charged criminally. This sets a terrifying precedent.

Self Care

During times of high stress, it’s important to take care of yourself and practice self care. Nursing has felt unstable for the past 3 years, and this is just another nail in the coffin. Check out my blog post with journal prompts & guided deep breathing for a dose of self care. If finding a way to advocate for one of our own and the nursing profession- see my blog post Verdict: Vaught Trial & What You Can Do. If you need a safe space to talk to other nurses, please consider joining our Nurses Supporting Nurses: Support Group. If you need a safe space to talk one to one, I’m happy to talk to you via messaging or video- whatever you are comfortable with. If you need space away from the news, media, social, and this general discussion, that’s okay too.

One of the best forms of self care is knowing when to protect your mental health and limit you intake of information. As many things do, this case has exploded on Social Media I see the turmoil starting among both lay people and nurses. I’ll be stepping away from public discussions/posts on it, at least for now. I suspect I will be back with another post around the sentencing.

How are you right now? Sending everyone love & light.

Verdict: Vaught Trial & What You Can Do

Verdict

On March 25, 2022- after 6 hours of deliberation- the jury found former nurse Radonda Vaught guilt of criminally negligent homicide (1-6 year sentence) and gross neglect of an impaired adult. She was acquitted of reckless homicide. I am still wrapping my head around this verdict and I will write a follow up post to go over my thoughts and what this could mean for the future of nursing. If you don’t know about this case, read my recent blog post.I will say I have recieved many messages today from nurses scared and grieving the nursing profession. To them, this feels like the final nail in the coffin after a very tragic year. We all agree she made a grave mistake, but she did not deserve criminal charges. Nurses are worried about the precedent this could set for the future of nursing and healthcare.

Contact the Judge & DA

The verdict has been reached but the sentencing is not scheduled until May 13 (the day after nurses week, may I add). We still have time to reach out and advocate for Radonda Vaught to not serve jail time and to have a lenient sentence. We advocate for our patients all the time. Now, it’s time to advocate for one of our own. We need to let the Judge know the severe impact this is having on the nursing profession and the consequences a harsh sentence will have on the future of nursing, healthcare, and patient care.

The District Attorney, who is the one who chose to accept the case and allow it to go to court, can also be contacted. We can ask him to let us know how he plans to deal with future medical errors. We can also let him know the terrible impact this trial is having on nurses and the future of healthcare.

Vote & Donate This is our chance to really make a statement and a change. The District Attorney Glenn R. Funk is up for reelection in May. Davidson County, you can show up- and vote him out. You can make your voice heard, and help represent nurses and the future of healthcare.

Voter Registration

https://www.nashville.gov/departments/elections

Make sure you are registered to vote if you live in Davidson County, Tenn using the website above. It’s free, it only takes a few minutes, REGISTER & VOTE!

Donate

Even if you don’t live in Davidson County, you can donate to the opponents of Funk. You can help get him out of office. Two women are running against Funk in the Davidson County election, Sara Beth Meyers & P. Danielle Nellis. Click on the name to donate to their campaigns and visit their official campaign site to learn more about their platform. I have 1200 instagram followers, 200 Facebook followers, and typically have at least 100 views on blog post within a few days. If everyone donated even $5-10, we could make a significant impact on the campaign.

Feel your feelings, and then act

I am not one to throw toxic positivity in your face. I already have seen it some on social media. The “get up and fight, don’t just complain” pep talks. And I don’t disagree. But we are allowed to be sad, angry, numb, shocked, whatever emotion you feel. It’s okay. Feel it. Sit with it. Grieve the fact nursing has greatly changed in the past two year. And if you decide bedside nursing is no longer for you, that’s okay too. You can read as much or as little trial information as you want. We have to protect our mental health. However, there are things we can do to advocate for the nursing profession. You don’t have to feel hopeless. We can make our voices heard. You can have feelings that aren’t positive, and make a difference.

Attorney Irnise F. Williams, Your Nurse Lawyer on IG focuses on business in healthcare but she has some great information on the trial and what we can do. Her videos helped me get started on this post and I appreciate everything she puts out there!

How are you feeling after the trial? Please reach out if you need a safe space to talk!

Recent Post on the Blog- 3/25/22

Hello, friends! Happy Friday! It feels so good to be spending more time in my little corner of the internet and having the time, desire, and creativity to write more frequent blog post. Writing really feels like a form of therapy but also distraction for me. I’m hoping to continue writing and find more ways to help my fellow CNAs, nurses, nursing student, and APRNs. I’m sharing some recent post you may have missed for your Friday morning or weekend reading.

RaDonda Vaught Criminal Trial

This has been my most viewed post this month on the blog. Radonda Vaught is a nurse who made a fatal but accidental med error and is now facing criminal charges. This post goes over the med error in more detail, the trial, and what concerns this raises for nurses. The trial ended yesterday, 3/24. We are awaiting the verdict. Look for a new blog post coming with an update on the trial, it should be posted in the next day or two.

Tips for the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

I’m really proud of the amount of helpful information I put in this post. I think it’s an excellent read for both experienced and new CNAs, as well as nursing students and new nurses. CNAs are such an important part of the healthcare team and I truly appreciate them.

Preparing for Senior Practicum

I wrote a post about Senior Practicum for nurses students. Senior Practicum is when you are a assigned a nurse and work their scheduled shifts with them for a set amount of hours. It gives you a better picture of what the future holds as a new nurse. It can be really scary and expectations can be high- read this to learn my tips and thoughts on how to be successful.

Behind the Covid Unit Doors- One Nurse’s Perspective

This is one of the most intimate and personal blog post I have ever done and also one I am most proud of. I share a glimpse into what a 12 hour shift was like behind the Covid Unit Doors. And the effect it had on me after I walked off the unit.

Thank you for continuing to support my blog! Subscribe to the blog to receive a weekly email- much like this post- of the blogs for the week to stay up to date! 

Self Care & Reflection

Journaling

One of the things I have been doing on my mental health healing journey is journaling. I’ll admit I’m not always the best at being consistent with journaling. However, I have noticed some benefits from it. One of the projects I’m working on involves journaling and I can’t wait until I am able to share it with you! Until then, I’m sharing some journal prompts with you today to help you do some self reflection.

Guided Breathing

Guided breathing can help you to calm your anxiety and center yourself to better concentrate and perform the task at hand. I have found whether I’m at work, a social event, or home- deep breathing can help to calm and center me. Simply closing my eyes, and taking even one or two slow deep breaths- can have a significant impact. I found a 3 minute free video from the calm app that I found helpful. It is only 3 minutes, so it is a good place to start without it being to long or overwhelming.

Calm Guided Breathing Exercise

Subscribe to the blog and follow along to see all the exciting things in the works to help with mental health and self care. Including how you can get journal prompts, self care tips, and book, podcast, or blog recommendations like this every week.

What self care are you practicing today?

 

 

RaDonda Vaught Criminal Trial

Today we are discussing a criminal trial against a nurse that began yesterday, Monday March 21, 2022 in Tennessee.

Background

Charlene Murphey, 75 was waiting for a standard scan at Vanderbilt Medical Center is 2017 when she was given a fatal dose of the wrong medication.

RaDonada Vaught, a nurse working at Vanderbilt, pulled the medication from the Accudose (medication) machine. The medication order was not coming up under the patient- so she had to perform an override. This is when the nurse is able to search all or most of the medications in the system.  She typed in “VE” to search the medications and selected the first medication to pop up on the list- Vecuronium. The medication she was looking to give was Versed. Vecuronium is a paralytic, meaning it paralyzes your body. When the body is paralyzed- a person is still awake, but unable to breath because the muscles are paralyzed. Versed, the medication she was trying to pull- is a sedative. The intent was to give Murphey Versed, a medication to help sedate and relax her for her scan.

Vaught states she checked the back of the vial, but not the front or top that had warning labels. She did not scan the medication under the advise of her Unit Manager because she was off her unit. Vaught administered the medication, causing the patient die. She was unable to move or talk, so they were unaware she had been given the wrong medication. Truly a terrible and tragic situation.

Vaught was fired from Vanderbilt Medical Center and The Tennessee Board of Nursing unanimously voted to revoke Vaught’s nursing license and fined her $3,000 in July 2021.

Trial

Monday, the criminal trial started against Vaught. She is being charge with reckless homicide and impaired adult abuse. She faces more than ten years in prison if convicted. Yesterday was jury selection and opening arguments are set to begin today. Nurses were in attendance yesterday to show their support to Vaught. Murphey’s son said despite what happened, he has forgiven Vaught because that is what his mother would do. Murphey’s son stated, “I’m not a guy that sees an eye for an eye. Regardless, I don’t think anybody would intentionally do that so I forgive her.” The family has stated they do not want criminal charges brought against Vaught.

Concerns

The error and outcome serves as a reminder to all nurses and people in healthcare to remember the importance of thoroughly checking orders, medications, using safety checks, etc. Sadly, lack of staffing, system failures, etc.- can all lead to medical errors. And sometimes, medical errors can lead to death. I truly hope and pray the family of Murphey will find peace.

This trial raises several concerns for the future of the nursing profession. This is the first time a nurse has ever face criminal charges for a medical error done without intent. We have heard the horror stories of doctors and nurses who intentionally cause harm. But an unintentional medical error has never been to criminal trial. “The Nurse Erica”on social media is attending the trials to provide updates via Tik Tok & Instagram. “If nurses know they can be criminally prosecuted when there is no ill intent why would they continue being a nurse, why would they go into the nursing profession,” Erica questioned. There is also concern for underreporting of medical errors due to fear of criminal charges. A safer environment is created for both healthcare professionals and patients when medial errors can be admitted without fear of criminal charges.

This really is a tragic situation and I am praying for all involved, including Nurse Vaught. I will continue to update as this trial develops.

Are you following the trial? What are your thoughts?

 

 

References:

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/board-votes-to-revoke-former-vanderbil-nurses-license-for-deadly-error

https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/nurses-across-the-country-support-former-vanderbilt-nurse-as-trial-gets-underway/

https://www.wsmv.com/2022/03/21/trial-former-vanderbilt-nurse-begins-tomorrow/