Personal liability insurance why or why not?

[blaze2510]

Does anyone have personal Liability Insurance, why or why not? I am doing a project for school, and have to ask a nurse about this, and review a liability insurance policy brochure.

THanks

[rn/writer, RN]

Two similar threads merged.

[elkpark]

The other company specializing in nursing liability coverage that one hears of most often (besides NSO) is Marsh, Professional Liability Insurance :: proliability.com

. There have also been some people here who have posted in the past that they have coverage through a rider on their homeowner's insurance, but I have no idea how that works -- I've always felt more comfortable dealing with a company that specializes in professional liability coverage for nurses and other health professionals.

Yes, premiums are based on what state you live in as well as your specialty -- coverage in some states is much more expensive, because of the litigation history/likelihood in those states, than in others. Same as automobile insurance, homeowner's insurance, etc.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

If you rely on the hospital's liability insurance and you didn't follow policy and procedure 100% to the comma and period....you will not be covered by the insurance.

Having your own liability insurance might make you more susceptible to being named in a suit simply for the fact that you have malpractice insurance.

This is not true. No one would know you have the insurance until you used it to defend yourself. I had heard that but looked it before getting my insurance.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

Should a new nurses purchase malpractice insurance? If so what are some of the recommended insurance companies that are used. I know that it would be beneficial if something happened, but what are the odds of something tragic happening in your nursing career.

Yes, all nurses should. Your employer will cover you if you still work for them and they don't put the blame on you for what happened. Their lawyers will defend them first and you second. Your own insurance will help protect your license, lose that and you are done. Join (and support) the ANA and get insurance through their company ($100)

[Neveranurseagain, RN]

My husband died of a very preventable medical incident. After spending many hours/days/weeks one on one with the top medical mal attorneys in the state of California, I learned this: If you don't have medical mal insurance, there is not a medical mal attorney that will take a med mal case, not matter how blatant the error/neglect was. Med mal is a highly specialized field, and expenses can run very high. The expenses associated with my husband's case cost a little over $150,000 just for expert witnesses. A cardiac surgeon that is an expert witness charges $10,000 a day, plus airfare and of course they don't stay at the local Motel 6. So if the healthcare provider responsible doesn't have any med mal insurance, there is no case. Who is going to pay the $150,000 expert witness bill? No one is going to.... Yes, they can attach your wages--but that means your attorney has to pay the bill then collect the $$$ from you. And if they lose the case, then the attorney will get stuck paying the expert witness bill.... Even if you own your own home, you will still be safe unless it is worth over $500,000 and is owned free and clear.

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

The above post is telling, so I think the answer would depend on the individual. To speak plainly, I have a lot to lose. I'm worth suing, so I am insured.

[Pappilli0n]

There is something in nursing called "the standard of care" and I tried my darnest to follow that. Didn't always suceed, but I had what they called

"a standard pattern" in my caring history. Guess I always figured that if

I made a mistake in my care then it would be just that, a mistake....an

UNKNOWING mistake. Plus, there is just so much money in this world and

I never had that much (in my purse or my assets) so I just didn't go there

in my thoughts. Nursing was stressful enough!!

Five years later and shortly after my retirement I was visited (in my home)by the Hospital's Attorney re a case of a bed sore that went horribly wrong for a former patient. He'd had a THREE DAY STAY and was blaming the Hospital for a LARGE SIZED DEEP TUNNELED BED SORE that erupted at home soon after his discharge. Having been missed by the nurse on his initial hospital admission evaluation, it was later caught and observed and charted as a bluish/reddish area on his buttock.....I was the nurse who'd charted those words.....nothing like what the home care nurse discovered several days later at his home. (to my regret as a nurse, you'll notice the details required of today's charting of skin assessment was not in my assessment). To my knowledge, the case was settled out of court. As I told the attorney, the standard of care was given this patient of having him GET OUT OF BED and stay off that side and verbally informing his doctor and relaying the finding to the next shift. Hopefully, all that helped the Hospital's side of the story. The nurses continued to follow that standard of care and the patient went home 1 1/2 days later.

[Pappilli0n]

Out of curiosity, are there current settlement figures on mal cases where nurses have been the cause and effect

of harm to a patient where the court settled against the nurse?

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Out of curiosity, are there current settlement figures on mal cases where nurses have been the cause and effect

of harm to a patient where the court settled against the nurse?

Nothing current that I have heard of, but there was a shocking case some years back where a scrub nurse read on a patient's consent that his x kidney was to be removed, but the surgeon, an arrogant SOB, insisted, once the patient was anaesthetized and positioned on the table, that the y kidney was scheduled for removal. The nurse didn't put her foot down and the result was that a healthy kidney was removed.

The patient sued the surgeon, the hospital and the scrub nurse.

[InesRN]

Thank you for your replies. I will get the insurance once I start working.