Nurse Liability Questions

[JerseyGir1]

I am a recently licensed new grad. I plan to obtain my own professional Liability Insurance but I wanted to get some opinions fist. Is NSO (nurses service organization) the major provider? They come up first when I google "nurse insurance". Is this the company to go with?? It seems like a really good idea to get some insurance since I might be starting out with some private duty cases at an agency (due to lack of hospital jobs!)

A second question I have re: liability off the job... As an RN, if you witness someone in distress, in need of CPR, are you required to perform it? The reason I ask is 1) I have never performed CPR on a real person and would be terrified if I had to, and 2) someone asked this question in class (pre-licensure) saying that since we are "certified" in CPR are we required to perform it... and the teacher flipped out saying we were NOT certified, all we did was "passed a course in CPR" and that we have no idea what we are doing yet. I'm just confused about what I can and cannot do now (as a bystander) and what I should and should not do. Of course, by nature, I want to help people in emergency situations. I just don't want to compromise my license by acting or neglecting to act.

[elkpark]

NSO and Marsh seem to be the two companies that get mentioned most often re: professional liability coverage for nurses. Having your own insurance is always a smart idea, even when you're working in a hospital. There are a number of older threads here discussing this.

It would be smart to check your state law about responding to emergencies. In my state, I am under NO obligation to respond to any emergency situations out in public, "off the job." I believe that's the case in most states, but I know there's been some previous discussion on this board about whether healthcare providers are required to respond in some states.

Congratulations on your graduation and licensure!