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Discussion

Is my paranoia normal??

I am a fairly new grad...received my licence back in February.I have been on my own in a step down unit since the end of March.I know I made the right decision when I changed careers to become a nurse. The diecision was right for me and my family. HOwever, I have an "issue" that I can't seem to resolve on my own and I am beginning to think that it is affecting my personal/family life and maybe even my work to some degree. I am DEATHLY AFRAID of making a mistake and ultimately getting everything taken from me and my family.

I feel that I am very particular,cautious,careful when assessing,medicating and treating my patients. I haven't made and major "mistakes" (just your usual...I wish I would have organized my day better or had time to do this or that). I am my own worst critic,so as far as I am concerned, at the end of each shift I dwell on all the things I could have done differently or better. HOw I could have managed my time better,etc...

My coworkers are great. I have a very supportive staff that I can rely on to help or run questions by.

Anyways, to get to my original question about my paranioa...I think as I get more knowledgable, I get more paranoid. I have signed up for liability insurance but still feel like I need to do more to protect myself, my license, my assets and my family. I have even seriously considered changing all of my assets (home,bank accounts, truck) to my husbands or children's names so if I ever encountered a lawsuit, it would appear like I have nothing worth taking...at least on paper.

I even left a message to speak with a lawyer to discuss how to protect myself. He never returned my call and I never followed up with another phone call.

I am unable to relax and enjoy this new part of my life. When I am at work, I feel great. I know that I made the right decision but I can't totally let go of my fears and enjoy my new career.

How often do nurses get personally sued to the point that they lose everything that they earned? Do I have more liability driving my car? Are my fears normal as a new grad? What can I do to be comfortable with my career so I can relax,learn,grow and enjoy myself?

Thank you for listening to me ramble...

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How often do nurses get personally sued to the point that they lose everything that they earned? Do I have more liability driving my car? Are my fears normal as a new grad? What can I do to be comfortable with my career so I can relax,learn,grow and enjoy myself?

Thank you for listening to me ramble...

Nurses are often "named" in lawsuits; along with the doctor, hospital, lab, etc. More often than not, they are dismissed out of hand by the court. Even if not, as long as they provide care to the appropriate standards, there is very little "actual" liability that accrues to the nurse.

It IS smart to carry malpractice insurance, but don't be paranoid about your assets.

  • Experts

As the previous poster said, it is extremely rare for nurses to lose their assets in a lawsuit -- but I carry insurance to be on the safe side.

I wonder though ... if maybe what you need is emotional help rather than legal/financial help. You seem to be having trouble facing the fact that bad things sometimes happen in spite of our best efforts. Life is full of risks and we can never totally protect ourselves from them.

Does your employer have an Employee Assistance Program? Or can your Primary Care Provider recommend a counselor for you to talk to? Perhaps you should address your underlying anxiety about life's risks rather than obsessing about insurance and lawsuits.

Good luck to you.

I am also nervous at times, and have malpractice insurance. I have also heard, as others, that in most cases, the nurse is named but not sued herself. One of the things I did hear that made me uncomfortable is that my malpractice insurance company (NSO) stated to me that if they have to provide counsel for a person about to lose their license, their attorneys expect payment upfront (like I have that sort of money as an LPN).

I would certainly continue with malpractice as well as try to seek advice from a lawyer, but try not to go overboard with the paranoia. Continuing with paranoia will impede you from making decisions and having faith in your own clinical judgement. I do have faith that things will be okay with me; mainly because my heart is in it for the right reasons, and my intent is not to harm. This is not to say that things will not happen, but that I don't want the scary thoughts keep me from learning and enjoying my career. Good luck!

NotWithoutPB&J,

You are NOT alone. I am the mother of 4 children and wife of a husband who does not work but does go to college full time. We have come through some very difficult times in the past 5 years and thus I have worked my way into becoming a nurse to help us get out of the very deep hole we have fallen into. I, too, have a huge helping of fear that I will make a mistake and all of it could be taken away from me in one fail swoop! As the only breadwinner in the family, and only a little over a month into being an LPN, you betcha I'm nervous as heck!

You are not alone!

NNNikki

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