Okay, as a student, I see a lot of things that surprise me. And recently I've been a bit nervous about mistakes and "near misses" that I see made by other students, nurses, and even a couple of my instructors! Some of these are minor, like giving an inhaler late or whatever, but some of them are pretty big.
That got me thinking, what would be an example of a career ending mistake? What if a pt falls on your shift? I had a pt once who had fallen earlier in the day before I had him, and I know that Medicare won't cover anything that happens because of a fall in the hospital. That doesn't really seem fair, becasuse the nurse who had this pt I am talking about also had another climber and three other pts to deal with. This guy had a bed alarm on, and was as close to the station as it was possible for him to be (other rooms were full), but when his alarm went off, nobody was able to get to him in time and he fell. Luckily he didn't get hurt, but the family was really really mad. It seems to me like they pretty much did all the could to prevent his fall (he had to be out of restraints because he was getting ready to be sent to an nursing home and couldn't have restraints on for a whole day before or they wouldn't take him), and his family had been providing a sitter at night for a week or so by that point. But this happened during the day. Stuff like that can happen so fast...I mean, if a nurse has 5 or 6 pts at a time, it is physically impossible for him or her to be with every pt all the time, so how come Medicare won't pay for that, or how come nurses could get sued for that?
I'm sorry, I don't mean to scare anyone, and I know I'm rambling! My point is, can someone give me some real life examples of reasons nurses have lost their license, and what they can do after that happens? I mean, do you just go out and get a job at the grocery store, or what???
Lastly, I know there are lots of threads out there about insurance, but I do have a couple questions I couldn't find answers to, if you don't mind answering them for me. I don't want legal advice, don't worry!!! I just wonder...the hospital where I want to work discourages nurses from getting personal insurance because they say that makes them a "target" for lawyers - if something happens and the lawyer finds out that one of the nurses has insurance, they will target him or her. But then, I also have heard that if a hospital gets sued, they might try to pin the blame on the nurse, and if that happens, how in the world could that nurse live? If a jury found him or her liable for whatever happened and awarded $5 million to a pt, and he or she doesn't have insurance and has lost his or her license, what in the world would they do???
Anyhow, I don't know if any of that's true or not. So what do you guys think? Do you have your own insurance? Why or why not? How expensive is personal Liability Insurance (just ballpark, of course), and is there a reputable company that anyone knows of that I could look at? Again sorry for the rambling and thanks for your help! The closer I get to graduating, the more I start to panic about this stuff, and I've got a little ways to go yet!!!!!!
I know that one (even many, judging by some nurses I know) will not get you fired or make you lose your license. It's just that I am terrified that some family member (and I have seen some...over-the-top ones) will get p*ssed about something and decide to sue. I know that they have to prove harm and blah blah, but those lawyers can be pretty scary and they can make things look like they happened a certain way, even if they didn't. And God forbid something really should happen...though I would beat myself up way more than any lawsuit would...you'd pretty much just be done, right? It's just that we live in such a litigious society now that I am soooooo afraid that one false move might cost me everything! I'll be calling my insurance company the day I pass my boards, believe me! For a hundred (or so) bucks a year, it's MORE than worth the security!!!!!
does[/i] pay for injuries sustained in a fall at a facility.
If you mean LTC, then maybe, I don't know about that. But they won't at hospitals. They also won't cover MRSA in open hearts, UTIs from foleys, or bedsores that start at a hospital. I think that's it for now, but there might be more. I also think that's going to start in October. My boss has been warning us about this for months now. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/washington/19hospital.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I would read the cases listed at the web site of your BON. There were not as many names as I would have thought, and as others have stated, the situations are usually quite serious. As soon as I obtained my license, I purchased malpractice insurance and would not walk around without it. The facility may have their own Risk Management Department, yes, but they are to represent the facility and do not have the best interests of the nurse. It is worth the $89 per year I pay to have my own protection.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I thought that little boy was on a vent because he had meningitis and it destroyed his respiratory center.
Anyway, one of the most common causes in my state for professional license revocation - any license - is refusal to pay child support. Most people would be surprised at how many of these nonpayers are women, but I wasn't because I once volunteered at a food pantry.
The most common cause is substance abuse, and that's the case with non-medical licensees as well, with one exception, and that is locksmiths. Their most common issue is lying about their criminal records.
This is certainly true for pharmacy, and probably for nursing as well, but an error is NOT going to cost you your license unless you did it on purpose.
Wow...you learn something new each day! Losing a professional license for failure to pay child support?? Thanks for sharing that one! I am curious to see if my state is one of them that would.
Nurses are small game in the world of suing and being sued-there just isn't as much money. The big game would be the doctors and hospitals.
I see a career ending mistake as one where the nurse is so devastated and upset by the mistake that she quits and never goes back.
Right on - us nurses are small potatoes compaired to the doctors. But I would still advise you to get your own malpractice insurance. We live in a very litigious society and you have to protect yourself. I not only maintain the NSO policy but I also have the rider on my homeowners insurance (which was only another 20 bucks a year).
You'll be amazed over the course of your career at the patients who think that because they toss around the term "sue" and "malpractice" that they will get preferential treatement. I had a patient threaten to sue me because i refused to take 20 minutes out of my day to stop tending to all 11 of my patients to take him out for a cigarette.
A CAREER ENDING MISTAKE I CAN THINK OF WOULD BE TO GO AHEAD AND SLAP THE CRAP OUT OF _______(FILL IN THE BLANK W/ WHATEVER "MGMNT" OR DON ETC) WHO DESERVES IT. HAHAHAHA. SERIOUSLY, THOUGH, BUY malpractice insurance NOW.!!!!:wink2:
Here in Canada, it is very unlikely a nurse will be sued however you need malpractice for college complaints that lead to disciplinary hearings. It is about $100. per year but I would not work for one minute without it. Oh and most nurses will have patients fall on their shifts, very common. The important thing is to deal with it right away and document in detail.
you'll be amazed over the course of your career at the patients who think that because they toss around the term "sue" and "malpractice" that they will get preferential treatement. i had a patient threaten to sue me because i refused to take 20 minutes out of my day to stop tending to all 11 of my patients to take him out for a cigarette.
i have told patients and families "be sure to spell my name correctly in the lawsuit."
usually shuts them right up, especially if delivered with a sweet little smile....
:wink2:
Valerie Salva, BSN, RN
1,793 Posts
Suits against docs and hospitals are very common. Nurses being sued is rather uncommon.