Liability Insurance

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Aug 18, 2012

Check out NSO and I think PRO Liability is another major carrier. Your employer will only cover you if you follow their P&P exactly and while you are currently employed. If a former patient files a claim after you leave the job your former employer's liability policy may elect to not cover you. Personal malpractice/liability will cover you. Personal Liability Insurance will also provide legal coverage for license defense (in the event a complaint is filed against you with the board of nursing) and I know NSO includes coverage (not sure about others) for claims against you for a HIPAA violation, normally employers will not cover you if cited/complaint filed against you for a potential breach in confidentiality or HIPAA violation. Your personal insurance carrier will represent your best interests whereas your employer's liability company will represent your employer's best interest. Of course there is always a debate, but a search on this site wil give you a number of thoughts and opinions.

Good luck with whatever you choose. Also, most liability insurance companies offer a discount of up to 50% for newly graduated nurses.

born2circulateRN · Aug 18, 2012

Glad you made this post. I recently got offered a position and am now thinking about which personal Liability Insurance to choose (Pro-liability or NSO). Both insurances have reasonable prices and is also discounted if you're a new graduate just as JustBeachyNurse stated. You can get your personal quote just by visiting the website - it's easy. I just wanted to know which is better according to other individual's opinions.

Thanks!

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Aug 19, 2012

LOTS and LOTS of talk on AN about this subject....put key words into the search box and you'll find everything you want to know. Good luck.

amoLucia · Aug 20, 2012

Some posters have said here that they've obtained coverage with their private insurance companies (don't remember if it was their auto, home or life carriers). But they were satisfied with it so you might want to look into that direction.

Whatever you do, JUST DO IT. It's a very, very, very wise decision. Get something...you can always change it later at renewal time if you choose. To rephrase the old TV American Express commercial...'don't work without it'!

cice18 · Aug 20, 2012

I just recently got Liability Insurance from NSO

Ayvah, RN · Aug 21, 2012

Never, ever, assume your employer will have your back or your best interest at heart. If ever you wind up in a situation where lawyers will be involved, the situation can at least be improved by having a personal lawyer who's #1 priority is you (and not the hospital). For your protection and peace of mind, get Liability Insurance.

Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM · Aug 21, 2012

Bottom line...you need malpractice insurance.

It is a myth that you are more likely to get sued if you have it...mainly because there is no list that any attorney can pull up that shows which nurses have it versus which ones do not. Therefore, the attorney that represents a patient has no way of knowing if the nurse involved has malpractice insurance or not.

Nurses are RARELY sued. That is why the malpractice insurance is so cheap...if we were frequently sued, it would be higher, I can assure you.

The hospital ONLY COVERS YOU, if you follow every procedure according to policy.

Now, that may sound easy...but if you even made an honest mistake...guess what? You are on your own. I used to brag that a medication error "would never happen to me"...because I was so focused on triple checking doses that I failed to recognize that there are other ways of making a medication error...such as setting the wrong rate on an IV when you go to reset it because the button you thought you were pushing and the one that you ended up pushing, had very different numbers. Lesson learned.

Malpractice insurance will also pay for an attorney if you ever get accused of anything regarding your license by the Board of Nursing, whether you are guilty or not.