‘We are deeply concerned,’ says WA nursing union of felony charges against RN for medication error
Apr 14, 2022, 4:51 PM | Updated: 5:08 pm
RaDonda Vaught (Associated Press)
(Associated Press)
A registered nurse (RN) has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and impaired adult abuse for accidentally administering an incorrect medication to a patient that resulted in their death.
Homicide trial for ex-nurse’s medication error goes to jury
That ruling, for which the nurse, Redonda Vaught, faces up to eight years in prison, has prompted medical associations throughout the U.S., including in the state of Washington, to cry foul.
“[We] are adamantly opposed to the criminalization of patient care errors. We are deeply concerned by this case and its potential impact on patient safety and health care quality,” The Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 3000 wrote in a statement.
“We join with health care workers and patient safety experts around the country and the world in rejecting the criminalization of medical errors. Further, we are committed to redoubling our efforts to achieve healthcare environments that are safe for patients and healthcare workers alike. This includes the ongoing, critical fight to achieve safe staffing standards in Washington state.”
That deep concern comes as Washington’s health care field, including the nursing community, chronically reports staffing shortages— brought on by fatigue from the pandemic and the movement of nurses towards accepting more lucrative traveling nurse contracts.
Legislature debates WA hospital staffing ratios as health care labor problem steeps
“It’s going to make this situation worse,” Tina Vinsant, a traveling registered nurse and host of the Good Nurse, Bad Nurse podcast, told KIRO Newsradio.
“It has already caused a huge flow of nurses that I’ve seen in the Facebook group that I created and also just feedback that I’ve gotten from listeners to my podcast. People are really afraid, not just nurses. A lot of health care professionals are saying that all of us are going to be at risk,” Vinsant continued.
Vinsant described a regular experience of her’s working in hospitals throughout the county: staffing stress experienced by emergency room nurses that result in prolonged care time. That, in conjunction with the judgment again Vaught, could trigger an exodus from the nursing community.
“They keep saying, one after another, ‘I’m leaving, I can’t do this, I can’t risk my freedom,’” Vinsant added.
“I was already going to work, risking my license, risking my career that I worked so hard for … We have to worry about being arrested, losing our freedom, and being taken away from our family. Is it worth it? Or should we go do something else?”
Listen to Seattle’s Morning News’ entire interview with Tina Vinsant here:
-
Tune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.
