Should I or should I not have my own personal nursing liability insurance???...

Nurses General Nursing

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  1. Should I have my own personal nursing liability insurance?

    • 24
      Yes
    • 1
      No

25 members have participated

Specializes in Postpartum, L&D, Mother-Baby.

So, I have been a Registered Nurse for 3 years now and I have never had . I just started a new full time staff nurse in southern California, mother-baby. Nurses at my previous job in a different state advised me to not get it. I haven't had insurance yet as a practicing nurse. What should I do???!! Pros/cons?

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Specializes in ER/ICU/STICU.

I have it. I have never used it, but I figuered for $100/year why not. If I ever need it I'm sure it will be well worth it.

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Specializes in Home Health.

I've had insurance since I was a student in Nursing School. If you and your company are sued, your company will try to find a way out, they will not back you up. Best to be safe than sorry.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Here is a link discussing this that you might find helpful: https://allnurses.com/legal-nursing/should-i-carry-391596.html

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You will need it. The company may kind of try to "find a way out." But only in the sense that if they can show, prove, what you did not exactly follow their written policy, then they are kind of off the hook and you will need your own coverage.

I know there are a few policies that I (and many co-workers) don't always follow "exactly" as they are written. But should something go wrong the company and their lawyers will be able to show that they do have a written policy and you (I) were not following it.

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You are covered through your facility. If a a claim should occur.. it will just be another avenue the prosecuting attorneys can attempt payment from.

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What I was attempting to explain, but may have not been clear, is that you will NOT be covered by your facility if they can prove they have a written policy that you were not following. been there, done that, is a little bit correct, but there is more to it than just another avenue for attorneys to get payment.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
You are covered through your facility. If a a claim should occur.. it will just be another avenue the prosecuting attorneys can attempt payment from.

And your facility will be looking for the first chance that they can to throw you under the bus if it will in any way help them in a legal case. The facility--and their attorneys--are looking out for the facility's interests first. Do you really think they'd put your interests above theirs?

OP: maintain your own insurance no matter where you work or whether the facility claims it would cover you. Having the policy means that should something happen, you will have someone who is working ONLY for your best interests and not for anyone else's. You need to protect yourself--no one else will.

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Your facility has Nothing to gain by denying your competence. That would mean... they are employing incompetent personnel.

They will cover your azz, unless you do something totally out of your scope of practice.

Talk to your risk management peeps.

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I am in nursing school and this is the way it was explained to us. We are going to be covered by our employer, but it is better to carry it. The pros is having your own personal coverage and it is only like 90-100 dollars a year, depending on where you live. The cons are that if the patient or anyone involved in a mishap finds out you have it, you are more likely to get sued than someone who doesn't. The reason being, some people will go after as many people as they can. Most just generally think of doctors having and not anyone else. Well, the more people who have it (i.e. nurses), they will try and going after them too.

I personally am going to get it though. I hope and pray I won't have to use it, but it's there.

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Specializes in NICU.

I carry it for two reasons. The first is general liability. I'm human. The second is for the license protection. I'm a pretty good person, but if some angry person makes an unfounded claim against my license, I could spend a lot of money defending myself. To me, it's peace of mind.

Also, I don't think that claimants can ask whether you have insurance before deciding to name you individually in a suit. I believe that information is only discoverable AFTER they've filed.

Incidentially, I was deposed regarding an event that my facility was sued for (but no one was named independently). I was NOT asked if I carried insurance.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

It's cheap, it will cover you and your license in the event of lawsuit. The hospital will be the first one to toss you under the bus in the event that there is some untoward outcome. the new big issue is HIPAA violations and your insurance will provide you your attorney. You carry home owners insurance but that doesn't mean you want your house to burn down, you carry car insurance not because you are reckless, and you carry health insurance not necessarily because you are sick.

I have never used mine (knock on wood) but my advice is to have it....just in case.

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