Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1468749
59 NURSING SPOTLIGHT RaDonda Vaught's conviction will have long-lasting effects on nursing, ANA says By Mackenzie Bean R aDonda Vaught's conviction for a fatal medical error has created a dangerous precedent that will have long-lasting effects on the nursing profession, the American Nurses Association and Tennessee Nurses Association said March 25. A jury convicted Ms. Vaught of criminally negligent homicide and abuse of an impaired adult for a fatal medication error she made in December 2017 while working as a nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Ms. Vaught accidentally gave a 75-year-old patient vecuronium, a powerful paralyzer, instead of the routine sedative Versed after overriding an electronic dispensing cabinet. "We are deeply distressed by this verdict and the harm- ful ramifications of criminalizing the honest reporting of mistakes," the nursing associations said. The groups argue there are more effective and just ways to examine medical errors, fix broken systems and take corrective action when mistakes happen. "The criminalization of medical errors is unnerving, and this verdict sets into motion a dangerous precedent," ANA and TNA said. "The non-intentional acts of individual nurses like RaDonda Vaught should not be criminalized to ensure patient safety." In a statement to ABC affiliate WTVC, the Nashville District Attorney's Office said the verdict was not an indictment against the nursing profession or medical community. Prosecutors said the case did not involve a "'singular' or 'momentary' mistake," but rather a series of decisions made by Ms. Vaught "to ignore her nursing training" and fail to follow safety protocols. The jury, which included a practicing registered nurse and a former respiratory therapist, "felt this level of care was so far below the proper standard of a reasonable and prudent nurse that the verdict was justified," the statement read. Ms. Vaught was sentenced to three years of supervised probation May 13. n Additionally, the healthcare industry must do away with the assumption that "strong nursing leaders really have one track, which inevitably leads to being a chief nursing officer," Dr. Cole said. "I think it's really up to seasoned nurse leaders to not only demonstrate the talent, skills and aptitude, but to really dispel myths that there is only one lane into the C-suite for nurses in this country," she said. Most nurses likely don't consider themselves fit to be a CEO and may rule it out early on when thinking about paths to leadership. Part of that stems from "mystique" sur- rounding the role, as well as nurses' focus on their communication and clinical care skills. "I think nurses go into nursing because of their passion and their concern and care for patients and improving the health of their communities, which of course is the same thing that a CEO would want. But most don't see themselves in that role," Ms. Agee said. "ere's a sense that the skills you need — whether they are financial skills or data analytics, political skills, etc. — all of that is not exactly how nurses have traditionally viewed their talents." But seasoned nurse leaders already demon- strate each of these skills. The value of nurse CEOs Working directly at the bedside provides nurses with unique experiences not shared by other executives, according to Dr. Cole. ese experiences, in turn, translate to unmatched leadership skills. "Year aer year, the Gallup organization has determined nurses are the most trusted profession in the U.S., and really that comes from having super honed listening skills," Dr. Cole said. "We are also accustomed to work- ing well with teams and have innate talent to lead by example and to bring strong [human resources] skills to the table. Nurses simply know how to work with other people." Dr. Cole also said nurse leaders are oen tasked with managing "extremely large" budgets, which in turn allows them to under- stand inefficiencies. "Typically, senior nursing leaders, nurse executives, are overseeing at least half of the workforce, so they do understand budgeting and financial impact of inefficiencies," Dr. Cole said. "ey understand how variation in processes ultimately breaks down the system and ends up costing money, and they abso- lutely understand customer dissatisfaction and what is satisfying to patients and families we serve." Johnese Spisso, President, UCLA Health, CEO, UCLA Hospital System, RN, began her career as a registered nurse in a critical care unit. Ms. Spisso said she believes her background is part of the reason why she was selected for her current position. "People felt that I understood the needs of patients and families but also the needs of the staff and everyone on the team, and a lot of that came from working as a registered nurse earlier in my career," she said. "An understanding of not only the role of nursing, but the role of respiratory therapies, social work, pharmacy, nutrition, physicians is really pivotal to delivering best care and is really how those teams work together," Ms. Spisso added. "And I think having experi- ence on the front lines of nursing and also coming up through the ranks in nursing really gave me broader visibility to that." Ms. Agee said she believes there is an "enor- mous benefit" to executives having nursing backgrounds and that she is a better CEO because she was a part of this community of caregivers. "It's important for a CEO to have that deep understanding and appreciation for that very human work of healthcare," Ms. Agee said. "What I call the magic or sacred mo- ment between a caregiver and a patient. e nurse brings that to their core." n