* A note for virtual participants—you will be sent a link for Microsoft Teams at least a day before the event starts.
RaDonda Vaught was the subject of one of the highest-profile healthcare criminal cases in recent years. She holds a BSN and a Certificate in Leadership from Western Kentucky University. While working as a BSN prepared registered nurse, Mrs. Vaught committed a medication error that ended the life of a patient in 2017. She was charged under administrative law by the Tennessee Department of Health, leading to the revocation of her nursing license by the Tennessee Board of Nursing in a July 2021 hearing. Additionally, she was charged under criminal law and found guilty by jury trial of two felony charges in March of 2022: Negligent Homicide, and Abuse of an Impaired Adult, with placement on an Elder Abuse registry in the state of Tennessee. Mrs. Vaught is uniquely qualified to speak firsthand on the impact this sentinel event has had on her life and her profession, along with the implications of the legal actions that followed. A passionate advocate for safety and improvement, her story will be one that is not easily forgotten.
Kathleen Kearney is an Associate Professor in the RN to BSN Program at Texas Tech University Health Science Center School of Nursing where she teaches legal nurse consulting, nursing jurisprudence, and ethics. As an attorney in private practice since 2006, Kathleen represents people who have been severely injured all over Texas. Professor Kearney is also board certified as a nurse educator and pediatric nurse practitioner.
Melinda Jones has been on faculty with the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center since 2004. She was recognized as a Distinguished Professor by the President of TTUHSC in 2016. Her major area of interest and research is the application of law and ethics to nursing practice. Prior to coming to Texas Tech, she was on faculty at Baylor University for nine years and has served as a chief nursing officer in both for-profit and not-for-profit health care systems. She earned a Juris Doctorate from Texas Tech University in 2004, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1983, and she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Baylor University in 1976.
