Malpractice Insurance?

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 17, 2009

NYRN08 · Jan 17, 2009

Yes...my school would not allow you go to clinicals until you had the certificate. I still have malpractice insurance even after graduating. Just changed it from student nurse to RN. As a student it cost $89 a year as an RN it's $98.00. I feel that it's worth it. Not sure where you live and how different the rates are for each state.

NursKris82 · Jan 17, 2009

Get it! Get it! Get it! Every nurse I know that knows anything about nursing law says you have to have it. Everyone I know, including me, goes thru NSO.

kmoonshine, RN · Jan 17, 2009

Get it - afterall, your license is with the state, not with the hospital.

Do you really expect a hospital to cover you if you were sued? No way!

The hospital is out to protect themselves and minimize their damages. If you were being sued for an incident that happened on a day when your floor was short-staffed or the staff were under-trained, do you think that the hospital's lawyer would want to use this as your defense?

Additionally, if a hospital provided you with a lawyer and they lost the case, the hospital could turn around and sue you to recover some money.

Lots of nurses think that having malpractice insurance automatically makes them a target for lawsuits. That's ridiculous - its kinda like saying "I don't have car insurance because if I did, other drivers would try to crash their car into me".

His_girl · Jan 17, 2009

Get it - afterall, your license is with the state, not with the hospital.
Do you really expect a hospital to cover you if you were sued? No way!
The hospital is out to protect themselves and minimize their damages. If you were being sued for an incident that happened on a day when your floor was short-staffed or the staff were under-trained, do you think that the hospital's lawyer would want to use this as your defense?
Additionally, if a hospital provided you with a lawyer and they lost the case, the hospital could turn around and sue you to recover some money.

I thought of all those things too!

Lots of nurses think that having malpractice insurance automatically makes them a target for lawsuits. That's ridiculous - its kinda like saying "I don't have car insurance because if I did, other drivers would try to crash their car into me".

That is so funny--great point! It is so true though how scared everyone is to talk about malpractice insurance. I asked my preceptor about it when I was a student and she got so defensive about it! First she told me she didn't have it and then out of the clear blue she told me 3 wks later that she did have. She then told me to never ask any nurse about it, because that is too private!