Nurses & Insurance

I carry it.

I'm just a student, but my program requires each of us to carry personal liability insurance, probably so the school doesn't have to provide it. According to one of my nursing instructors, when we graduate, we shouldn't hold personal insurance policies because if a patient who's filing a lawsuit finds out we have liability insurance, we're more likely to be named in the lawsuit. I'm not entirely sure I believe that, though. I'd rather be covered than risk trusting my employer to cover me, and having them throw me under the bus because of some technicality.

Best Hundred dollars I spent.

I am currently a nursing student, and we are required by the school to carry liability ins while we are nursing students.I will carry insurance after graduation, but it is not something that I will 'advertise', so to speak. I do not see how it could come up in casual conversation, unless someone asks, which I do not exactly see happening in a normal casual conversation.

I would not work without it.

I would never work a day without my own, personal coverage. If you are trusting an employer to protect you if the doo-doo hits the fan, you are in for a rude awakening one of these days.

My nursing school requited students to buy malpractive insurance. I plan on buying a professional malpractice policy as soon as I get a job.

Ooh. Well, my school has liability for us students... interesting point about how if found to have extra insurance, you might be a target. Hmmm. As a student, it really was a downer hearing about all of this, they went over it our first day. The whole deal about double checking MD orders, the buck stops with us and all. Lots of responsibility we have, over ourselves and others. I ran a MD office (small) while taking my prereqs and always doublechecked the doc... but, it was not my liability, and I knew him well... where he might screwup. I am a little anxious about dealing with hosp staff MD's (the unknown comics, as I say) I'm gonna be too busy watching out that I don't screw up as a new nurse!!

I think that having malpractice making you is mostly a myth. Probably one of the LNCs here can make a more definitive statement. However, I would carry malpractice insurance for exactly the reason listed here:

1. Does having my own professional liability insurance make me a more likely target for a lawsuit? No. Having your own professional liability insurance will, however, provide you with your own attorney, can provide coverage in addition to your group policy and can provide complete coverage in instances where you are not covered by your group policy.

You can read the full article here:
http://www.camedicalmalpractice.net/faq.htm

Its about controlling your own destiny. Say you get sued. The hospital may decide that its easier to settle than fight. However, guess who's name now appears in the national practitioner data bank? Hint - its not the hospital. For RNs its cheap enough to carry.

David Carpenter, PA-C