nursing malpractice insurance

by Kasey Keefe
May 17, '02   Views: 1,388   Comments: 6

  1. Do you think that registered nurses should carry their own malpractice insurance?
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    About Kasey Keefe

    Joined: May '02; Posts: 6
    RN Nuclear Cardiology

    6 Comments

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  3. by Rustyhammer
    May 17, '02
    Occupation: Retired Joined: Jul '01; Posts: 4,288; Likes: 31
    Naw, You don't need malpractice insurance. Why just the other day an administrator type person told me that if anything happened the facility would back me up. I felt so much better knowing that the corporation was behind it's staff like that.
    -Russell
  4. by biscuit_007
    May 18, '02
    Occupation: PICU Staff Nurse Joined: Feb '02; Posts: 121
    My own Director told me to get malpactice insurance. She said that indeed the hospital would back me up in court but that the hospital also had the right to sue me for any damages they incurred. I have no use for lawyers!!!!!!!!!!!
  5. by NRSKarenRN
    May 18, '02
    Occupation: Utilization Review, prior Intake Mgr Home Care Specialty: 40 year(s) of experience in Home Care, Vents, Telemetry, Home infusion ; From: PA, US ; Joined: Oct '00; Posts: 27,543; Likes: 13,749
    Have had it 25 years...the $100/year is worth my peace of mind.
    Especially these days when administration is SO supportive of nurses!
  6. by ageless
    May 18, '02
    Joined: Apr '02; Posts: 468; Likes: 20
    My medical malpractise attorney friend told me not to carry it. It makes you a target..."the deep pocket theory" or otherwise know as "flies are drawn to shyt." plantiff attorneys follow the money. Good thing I am always broke, but I am still deciding when and if to carry. One of these years, I' ll make up my mind.
  7. by brassdragon
    May 22, '02
    Occupation: new grad - start in telemetry in August- Joined: May '02; Posts: 18
    I don't know if there are any other threads on this subject but as a new nurse what do people think on nursing insurance. If I should get it what do I look for and where should I look. I will be working in massachusetts. Thanks
  8. by whipping girl in 07
    May 23, '02
    Occupation: RN Specialty: 7 year(s) of experience in ICU, nutrition ; Joined: Jan '02; Posts: 905; Likes: 281
    www.nso.com

    I just got malpractice insurance a couple of weeks ago. I'm a new grad nurse working in ICU, and we make a lot of quick, life-saving decisions that could be called "practicing medicine without a license" if the hospital and/or MD decided to hang me out to dry if a patient died and we were sued. The hospital only covers you if you are performing within the duties of your job. So if my patient's pressure hits the 40s, and I try to contact the MD, and I can't get in touch with him/her, and I start dopamine (or levophed, or whatever), I have practiced medicine without a license. Now, in my opinion, it would be better for me to support the patient's pressure rather than wait for him/her to code, then use my ACLS training to save his/her life. You know, prevent problems. But if there was a bad outcome (pt died anyway) and the hospital got sued, I know they'd hang me out to dry so fast it would make my head spin. Not something I'd want to lose my house, property and 401K over.

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