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Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?



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May 13, 2009 07:45 AM

Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?

by sirI Staff
Updated Oct 26, 2009 at 07:32 AM by sirI

This question comes up frequently and is asked of me quite often, "Should I carry malpractice insurance?" Many nurses are covered under their own individual liability insurance carrier. Many more are not. I am.......... are you??

Nurses can be sued at any time, for any reason. Often, allegations brought against you are unfounded, but just being named in a lawsuit gives one pause and can be one of the most stressful times in your life. The nurse feels embarrassed and fears damage to a perfect reputation.

Your employer's policy may cover you, but only up to a point. Remember: Your employer's policy is created to fit their specific needs and protects them first.

You may even be told (by your employer HR) that you do not need your own policy. What they do not tell you is that they want you to be represented by their attorneys. They do not want "outside" representation for they know that their best interests will not be first and foremost. Carrying your own policy will ensure you personal attorney representation when you need it and this attorney will be concerned with only protecting YOUR needs and YOUR best interests.

All malpractice insurance policies have limits of liability. If you are only covered by your employer's insurance, other defendants employed at your entity may and probably do share your liability limits under the same policy. If you as well as others are named in a suit, your legal costs, including any settlement, could exceed your employer's shared liability limits. This would mean out-of-pocket expenses for you!!


The following are a few individual carriers:
It is up to the individual nurse how much liability to carry. $1,000,000/$6,000,000 coverage premiums are approximately $90/year in most States for the RN and $90/year for the LPN - NSO.


Another benefit of carrying individual coverage which extends beyond your employer's limits:
  • License Protection
Many Carriers reimburse you up to a certain amount if you are defending disciplinary charges with your Board of Nursing (BON).


And, many policies also address the following (not all inclusive):
  • libel
  • slander
  • charges of confidentiality violation
  • assault on the job


So, do you carry your own individual liability insurance??

Small price to pay for peace of mind...


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112 Comments
No. 1
Old May 13, 2009, 08:26 AM

Default Re: Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?
Siri, I started looking for clinical spots last week and the first thing I did was reinstate my malpractice. As a new grad RN it is costing me, in NYS, $50 a year for 6mm/1mm coverage. Small price, indeed.

Thanks for a timely reminder.

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No. 2
from sirI
Old May 13, 2009, 08:32 AM

Default Re: Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?
Excellent, Sue. Wise decision.
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No. 3
from oramar
Old May 14, 2009, 09:17 PM

Default Re: Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?
One bright spot in my financial year(unemployed but still carrying it) is the fact that my malpractice insurance did not go up this year.
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No. 4
from sirI
Old May 14, 2009, 09:36 PM

Default Re: Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?
That is good news, oramar.
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No. 5
Old May 15, 2009, 01:35 AM

Default Re: Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?
That's really interesting, I honestly haven't put much thought into that. So sirI at what point would you recommend that we look into malpractice insurance? I am still a student but I want to be prepared for these kind of things ahead of time.

!Chris
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No. 6
from Elvish
Old May 15, 2009, 06:19 AM

Default Re: Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?
Got mine last year!
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No. 7
from VickyRN
Old May 15, 2009, 07:14 AM

Default Re: Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?
Excellent advice, sirI! I encourage my students to purchase their own liability insurance upon graduation. (In our program, each student is required to purchase liability insurance at a very inexpensive student rate from a provider that contracts with our college of nursing.)
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No. 8
from sirI
Old May 15, 2009, 09:16 AM

Default Re: Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?
Originally Posted by cjcsoon2brn View Post
That's really interesting, I honestly haven't put much thought into that. So sirI at what point would you recommend that we look into malpractice insurance? I am still a student but I want to be prepared for these kind of things ahead of time.

!Chris
Hello, !Chris

Like VickyRN said, I, too, advise my students to secure personal/individual liability insurance. But, I advise them to purchase while still a student.

With NSO, these rates are around $29 /year for 1,000,000/6,000,000 coverage. It is rare a nursing student is successfully sued, but they are named in lawsuits. It is, as I pointed out, a small fee for peace of mind.
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No. 9
from donsterRN
Old May 15, 2009, 09:27 AM

Default Re: Should I Carry Malpractice (Liability) Insurance?
This is excellent information to have!

My program briefly discussed malpractice insurance with us, but no one (to the best of my memory) actually made recommendations. My nursing journals always have the NSO insurance application at the front of the magazine, but I honestly never really paid much attention. You can bet I will now. As a matter of fact, I'll complete an app today. It's well worth it not to worry about it.

Thanks again!
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