Former Vanderbilt Nurse Convicted of Negligent Homicide Turns Mistake into Nationwide Speaking Campaign

In 2022 a Nashville jury found RaDonda Vaught, a Vanderbilt nurse, guilty of negligent homicide for a 2017 medication error that killed patient Charlene Murphey. The court imposed three years of probation, revoked her license and barred her from clinical practice. She then moved to a sheep farm in Bethpage, Tennessee, with her husband.

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Vaught’s first public talk came in early 2023 at a TapRooT root-cause analysis conference, which she called “emotionally overwhelming and a little cathartic.” By year-end she had delivered over 20 talks, earning $5,000-$10,000 each, to the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the California Hospital Association. Charlene Verga said Vaught “literally is transforming her mistake into a teaching moment.”

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The error occurred when Vaught typed “VE” into an electronic medication cabinet, received no result and overrode the system, unintentionally selecting the paralytic vecuronium instead of the sedative Versed. She later blamed a newly installed electronic health record (EHR) system. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices urged Omnicell and BD to require longer search terms. Kentucky passed a 2024 law granting immunity for on-the-job mistakes, citing the case.

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Vanderbilt spokesperson Craig Boerner declined comment on Vaught’s speaking work. A lead prosecutor said the hospital also bore responsibility, noting routine overrides during the EHR upgrade. Kentucky framed its immunity bill as protective for clinicians.

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Gary Wood wrote, “It put a stain on a proud and dedicated profession.” Critics note Vaught’s $5,000-$10,000 speaking fees appear to profit from the tragedy. Matthew Garvey said he would have fired Vaught and that the Tennessee Board of Nursing should have acted sooner; it revoked her license only after the criminal case.

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Vanderbilt failed to report the error to regulators and told the medical examiner the death was natural. The hospital later settled with the Murphey family, limiting the family’s public comments, while Vaught remains free to speak. Investigators did not fully corroborate her claim that the EHR system caused widespread problems.

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• “It wasn't something that I wanted to happen. It wasn't even something that was on my radar to think about,” — RaDonda Vaught, former Vanderbilt nurse

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• “This whole mockery of our healthcare system — people feeling afraid to talk about mistakes and come forward when they happen — it doesn't save people. It kills them,” — RaDonda Vaught

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• “It put a stain on a proud and dedicated profession.” — Gary Wood, retired nurse (email)

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• “We can't change what happened. We can only change what we do moving forward,” — Matthew Garvey, nursing consultant

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Vaught’s speaking schedule runs through 2025, with appearances at national nursing conferences and hospital safety forums. Lawmakers in several states are watching Kentucky’s immunity statute as a model, and hospitals continue to evaluate updated dispensing-cabinet software and barcode protocols.

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