[Kati2005]

I was wondering if it was necessary to have malpractice or liability insurance in case the hospital I work at should be sued? Is it necessary? I also heard that you are more likely to be sued if you do carry insurance? Can someone please give me info? Thanks.

[classicdame]

I get several journals so do not know where I read this, but those are myths, according to an atty/nurse. You can be sued even if the hospital is not. The hospital does not cover every incident for which you can be sued. Lawsuits are filed before the plaintiff learns if you even have malpractice insurance. That is discovered later. It costs about $100/yr, or less, depending on many factors. I have mine thru my homeowner's insurance company and pay $82/yr.

[elkpark]

There are a bunch of older threads here discussing the pros and cons of carrying your own professional liability insurance. Please do a search and review them before making a decision.

BTW, I'm one of those RNs who would never consider working a single day without my own coverage -- I've seen too much over the years ...

[medsurgrnco]

I recently spoke with a nursing attorney, who strongly advised that all nurses have private liability insurance. From what I've seen of hospitals, I don't trust them to protect me. I have insurance through NSO, cost approx $100/yr - cheap for added peace of mind!

[twinkerrs]

This is the biggest piece of advice I have gotten from a lot of older nurses and I plan to follow it for sure. My brother(an attorney) has told me he would not let me even start a job without it once I graduate.

[TazziRN]

Always remember one thing: a facility will tell you that in the event of a lawsuit, you would be represented by the facility's attornies. What they don't tell you is that if they can pin anything on YOU and get the heat off of THEM, they'll do it without blinking an eye.

Get your own coverage. Most of us here have it through NSO.

[Kati2005]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I've looked at NSO and decided to get my own insurance.

[aeauooo]

Originally Posted by TazziRN

Always remember one thing: a facility will tell you that in the event of a lawsuit, you would be represented by the facility's attornies.

I remember being told that when I started one of my staff positions. The hospital advised that nurses not carry their own insurance because a plaintiff would then sue the nurse separately.

As I understand it, the stipulation is that the hospital will cover the nurse, as long as the nurse sticks to the 'official' version of the story, which I'm sure is not always the truth.

$100/year for (relative) peace of mind - that's a pretty good deal if you ask me.

[WitchyRN]

Hospitals will often tell you not to get your own insurance, but I think it's mainly because when the nurse has their own lawyer representing them, the hospital and their lawyers aren't in complete control anymore. The nurse now has someone looking out for their best interest.

When I had orientation at my current hospital, the risk management lady went on for about 10 minutes how we didn't need our own insurance, the hospital wouldn't hang anyone out to dry, blah, blah, blah.

I also agree, the insurance comes out to less than 10 dollars a month. Completely worth it in my opinion.

[Bluez57]

Anyone know if there is a company that will write a liability policy for nurses who work corrections?
Thanks, Robert