Finally got malpractice insurance.

Nurses General Nursing

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I have hemmed and hawed for years, and with each passing year in practice, gotten more and more anxious about NOT having . I had always been told "nurses who carry personal insurance are sued first," but then I had also been told that the hospital will only cover you if you followed hospital policy down to the exact letter (and we all know human error is a real thing) and will throw you under the bus the first chance they get.

I have watched coworkers go through awful lawsuits, and have had experiences at work that increasingly leave me praying at the bedside that everything turns out okay and that I don't end up in court. My line of work is just plain scary sometimes (OB). Patients are getting sicker, and pregnancies are getting more and more high risk with more and more co-morbidities that make for sometimes frightening situations at the bedside.

I have been reading through threads on this site for a few weeks trying to decide, and I finally decided that enough is enough, and that my peace of mind is worth $109 a year. I feel like a weight has been lifted. I just had to share.

I would recommend insurance for the new grad, but after a few years, not so much.

The reason they can offer a policy for as little as $100/year is that there's only a very slim chance of ever using it.

Specializes in Cardiovascular recovery unit/ICU.

This reply is so helpful to me. I work in ICU/CVR. I can't believe that one family sued all the way up the line, nurse 1st, because they said maw maw 88, who was brought back to life but needed permenant dialysis after cardiac arrest (because they said the CPR was not good enough quality to perfuse her kidneys). The family WON the case because it was not documented that a Femoral pulse check was done on a regular basis during the code. Keep in mind that Maw Maw's ribs were probably sooo osteoporotic and brittle, but the nurse performed such good quality Compressions despite this that the patient retained full brain status after the code. OMG!!!! Not only was the nurse that was performing compressions sued, the hospital insurance did NOT cover her since she did not go exactly by hospital protocol, which was stored away in some office somewhere in a book probably a mile thick and in fine print it said to check a femoral pulse during pulse checks even if you get a carotid pulse.

You can be sure that I will ALWAYS carry coverage. I will also get the max amount I can and make sure it covers my needs.

I have been a nurse paralegal in the past and I can tell all of you that you can NOT cover yourself enough thru insurance and narrative documentation. It takes extra time that I know y'all don't,but have, but if you learn to do it well you will be covered. Don't say too much, be concise, but be sure to follow up on anything you document that warrants it, Also use narrative to document the outcome and if you corrected the issue. #1 thing is patient safety.....ABC's. Unfortunately after taking care of that we have to worry about HCAPS lol!!!! Patient satisfaction.

It is a special calling for sure. We don't make anywhere near enough money for the amount of work we do and the liability we carry on our shoulders!

Specializes in Healthcare risk management and liability.

^^^Kssrn404, in what jurisdiction was this case filed?

I would recommend insurance for the new grad, but after a few years, not so much.

The reason they can offer a policy for as little as $100/year is that there's only a very slim chance of ever using it.

I spend more money than that a year in Starbucks. LOL.

There's a slim chance I'll ever get diphtheria. But I'll take the vaccine just the same.

Perhaps, perhaps not. It did save her one more worry, and she gave up the profession just due to the stress of having the threat of the suit. Criticize her, if you will, but none of us know what we will do in a given situation, until we are there.

Whether or not you choose to to purchase your own insurance, is entirely up to you. I know that many RNs do choose to purchase their own, although they may or may not speak of their decisions. My close friends did carry their own insurance.

Someone mentioned, in another post, that it was wise to carry NSO or other malpractice insurance, once they left nursing, through retirement, or to pursue another field or profession, due to the ten year Statute of Limitations, during which time a suit could be instituted.

I was never sued, but very glad that I had the added protection, as we are all human, and none of us is infallible. The cost is minimal, and if it gives peace of mind, to some, it is well worth the cost.

I didn't think I was criticizing anyone. Just trying to understand.

I'm starting my 7th year as a nurse. I had my own liability policy until about a year ago. Over the past few years always considered not getting it. I finally didn't renew my policy, in large part to reading "Risk Manager''s article she referenced above.

Probably 3 or 4 times since then, I come across a thread such one. It's the same thing over and over again. Themes such as "hospital will throw you under the bus", "you should keep your insurance even after you retire", "such a small price for peace of mind", etc...

Risk Manager, who comes across as very credible to me, addresses all those things, and also posts a link the the article she wrote last year. And then, more people hop on and repeat the same things as if her words are invisible (such as you yourself repeating the fallacy that you should keep insurance after you leave nursing). They don't say why they disagree, don't have any anecdotes to back up their opinion, or offer any kind of information to establish their credibility on the subject.

I keep pushing people because I would like someone to give me a good argument as to why I should buy the insurance. I'm not into donating money to insurance companies, and "peace of mind" really isn't if I know it's false security.

This reply is so helpful to me. I work in ICU/CVR. I can't believe that one family sued all the way up the line, nurse 1st, because they said maw maw 88, who was brought back to life but needed permenant dialysis after cardiac arrest (because they said the CPR was not good enough quality to perfuse her kidneys). The family WON the case because it was not documented that a Femoral pulse check was done on a regular basis during the code. Keep in mind that Maw Maw's ribs were probably sooo osteoporotic and brittle, but the nurse performed such good quality Compressions despite this that the patient retained full brain status after the code. OMG!!!! Not only was the nurse that was performing compressions sued, the hospital insurance did NOT cover her since she did not go exactly by hospital protocol, which was stored away in some office somewhere in a book probably a mile thick and in fine print it said to check a femoral pulse during pulse checks even if you get a carotid pulse.

You can be sure that I will ALWAYS carry coverage. I will also get the max amount I can and make sure it covers my needs.

I have been a nurse paralegal in the past and I can tell all of you that you can NOT cover yourself enough thru insurance and narrative documentation. It takes extra time that I know y'all don't,but have, but if you learn to do it well you will be covered. Don't say too much, be concise, but be sure to follow up on anything you document that warrants it, Also use narrative to document the outcome and if you corrected the issue. #1 thing is patient safety.....ABC's. Unfortunately after taking care of that we have to worry about HCAPS lol!!!! Patient satisfaction.

It is a special calling for sure. We don't make anywhere near enough money for the amount of work we do and the liability we carry on our shoulders!

I appreciate the example of a nurse needing their own policy. Probably not enough for me to think I need it, as this is the only example I have heard of here or on AN and some elements of the story don't really make sense. I'm not saying you are making it up...not at all! Maybe, unless you were directly involved, you don't have all the facts.

That doesn't really matter..we'll agree to disagree. It just is a factor in that this isn't enough to sway my opinion on getting my own policy again.

This is my thought: no one needs insurance until they need it, be it health, life, or this sort of thing. Were it not for state law, you wouldn't need car insurance (and if your car is paid for you don't have to cover it - you only need liability) - until you needed it. Same with homeowner's, or renter's.

As I said, I spend more money in Starbucks in a month than I do on a malpractice policy. I'm not here to convince you to buy or not; that's up to you. But I can provide you with my reasoning behind carrying it all day long.

I appreciate the example of a nurse needing their own policy. Probably not enough for me to think I need it, as this is the only example I have heard of here or on AN and some elements of the story don't really make sense. I'm not saying you are making it up...not at all! Maybe, unless you were directly involved, you don't have all the facts.

That doesn't really matter..we'll agree to disagree. It just is a factor in that this isn't enough to sway my opinion on getting my own policy again.

Maybe you should start a thread to see if you can get the anecdotal evidence you are seeking. I will still carry my own insurance either way but I'd be interested to see what kind of responses you'd get.

This is my thought: no one needs insurance until they need it, be it health, life, or this sort of thing. Were it not for state law, you wouldn't need car insurance (and if your car is paid for you don't have to cover it - you only need liability) - until you needed it. Same with homeowner's, or renter's.

As I said, I spend more money in Starbucks in a month than I do on a malpractice policy. I'm not here to convince you to buy or not; that's up to you. But I can provide you with my reasoning behind carrying it all day long.

Actually, you only have to buy for auto. I choose to buy more then that, because I know if I'm in a wreck I will be out of a lot of money without it. I would still buy liability insurance too even if not required. But, that would be my primary defense against a lawsuit. Not like working as a nurse where my employer's insurance covers me and my insurance only kicks in after that.

I appreciate that your situation may be different being in the military.

One thing for everyone to think about...a nurse liability policy costs about $100 for $1,000,000 in coverage. The liability portion of my auto policy costs three times that for a fraction of the coverage. Why is that?

This is my thought: no one needs insurance until they need it, be it health, life, or this sort of thing. Were it not for state law, you wouldn't need car insurance (and if your car is paid for you don't have to cover it - you only need liability) - until you needed it. Same with homeowner's, or renter's.

As I said, I spend more money in Starbucks in a month than I do on a malpractice policy. I'm not here to convince you to buy or not; that's up to you. But I can provide you with my reasoning behind carrying it all day long.

I agree with this.

Everyone blows money on something they don't really need to the tune of more than a hundred dollars per year even if they won't admit it, and they'd never even miss that hundred if spent on .

Maybe you should start a thread to see if you can get the anecdotal evidence you are seeking. I will still carry my own insurance either way but I'd be interested to see what kind of responses you'd get.

I've thought about that before. But on a website this big, with tens of thousands of nurses on everyday, and where topics such as "The Pearson Vue Trick", and "I have to get a flu shot" reappear with regularity, you would think it would be easy to find examples of nurses being sued. I've searched. There aren't many out there, and even fewer where they used their own policies to save them.

Actually, you only have to buy liability insurance for auto. I choose to buy more then that, because I know if I'm in a wreck I will be out of a lot of money without it. I would still buy liability insurance too even if not required. But, that would be my primary defense against a lawsuit. Not like working as a nurse where my employer's insurance covers me and my insurance only kicks in after that.

I appreciate that your situation may be different being in the military.

One thing for everyone to think about...a nurse liability policy costs about $100 for $1,000,000 in coverage. The liability portion of my auto policy costs three times that for a fraction of the coverage. Why is that?

Because there's inherently more risk in getting in an accident. No need to fish - we know the answer. By the same token you have a greater risk of getting in a car wreck than you do a plane crash, which is why travel insurance that pays out in the event you die at 38K feet is super cheap as well. That's neither rocket science nor a secret.

And as for not needing car insurance, try financing a car carrying only the limits of liability. You can't. You have to have full coverage until the car is paid for because you have a bank assuming a risk of loss - which is precisely why I said "only if it's paid for". Same with homeowner's. If you own your home outright - there's no mortgage - you don't need full coverage. You have to have it with a mortgage so the bank has protection against loss.

Your employer's insurance only covers you if they back you. If they wash their hands of you, you assume all the risk. For the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, I'll do what I can to avoid that.

And if a million dollars in auto liability is costing you $300 a month, you're living in the wrong state. I don't pay that for full coverage on three cars.

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