CHESSIE

I used Nurses Services Organization. NSO. I retired more than ten years ago, but the last time I renewed my policy the number was 1-800-247-1500. There may be other companies that offer malpractice insurance for nurses, but my close associates used NSO. NSO, also, has/had a web address Malpractice Insurance for Nursing Professionals - NSO (Malpractice Insurance for Nursing Professionals - NSO) I wish you a long and successful career.

Perhaps, perhaps not. It did save her one more worry, and she gave up the profession just due to the stress of having the threat of the suit. Criticize her, if you will, but none of us know what we will do in a given situation, until we are there. Whether or not you choose to to purchase your own insurance, is entirely up to you. I know that many RNs do choose to purchase their own, although they may or may not speak of their decisions. My close friends did carry their own insurance. Someone mentioned, in another post, that it was wise to carry NSO or other malpractice insurance, once they left nursing, through retirement, or to pursue another field or profession, due to the ten year Statute of Limitations, during which time a suit could be instituted. I was never sued, but very glad that I had the added protection, as we are all human, and none of us is infallible. The cost is minimal, and if it gives peace of mind, to some, it is well worth the cost.

The only nurse, whom I know, and was sued, along with the hospital did have her own liability/malpractice insurance. Doctors and other nurses were mentioned in the suit, too. Sadly, she left the profession, and she was a great nurse. The hospital would have lost the suit due to patient's family, it was a pediatric patient, non compliance. However, the hospital settled out of court. I do not know if the other nurses had their own malpractice insurance, but the physicians did, of course, as they were not employed by the hospital. The doctor of record left the area, and she was a great loss to the hospital, too. She left as her husband's business relocated, and therefore she, too relocated to that area, and now sees patients at a larger, more prestigious hospital.

Great advice. In 1955 when I was a nursing student, and later as a new RN, no RN carried her/his own malpractice insurance. Nurses were rarely, if ever, sued. Today our entire society has become more and more litigious. I took time off to raise my family and reentered nursing after this hiatus. When I returned, a younger RN took me aside and told me to carry my own liability insurance, but not to mention this fact. Yes, the hospital has liability insurance and can be of help, but deviate, just slightly from the precise protocol, even in an emergency, and you might be told that you are not covered by the hospital. In the more vernacular, "you may be thrown under the bus." I immediately contacted the NSO and purchased my own insurance, which I renewed every year, until I retired. Should I choose to even volunteer, using my RN, I will contact NSO and carry my own liability insurance.

I wondered the exact same thing. Know that a lot of folks will post and never look at the discussion again, I googled HIM. It means Health Information Management. The next post has CDI. Again, google... Clinical Documentation Improvement. I guess the members here know a lot more than me but it is still nice to have the acronym spelled out for the ignorant folks like me. Now that I learned two new things today I can go back to sleep. Do not apologize. I, too, "Googled" the two acronyms to learn the names of the entities. I am sure that the two of us were not the only ones who turned to "Google." :-)

Was this doctor a hospitalist? If so, yes, I can understand why his contract was terminated. If he was in private practice, with admitting privileges, and thus bringing money into the hospital's "coffers," many hospitals would have allowed his behavior continue. If your hospital terminated his privileges to admit patients, you worked in a very employee supportive facility. The hospital from which I retired, had a neurosurgeon who would have temper tantrums in the OR, and was known to swear and throw instruments at the circulating nurse when the situations became difficult during surgeries. Complaints were document, but the administration did nothing, his patients liked him, his surgeries were usually successful, and he was a "gold mine" for the hospital.

Chacha has given the poster excellent advice. Check the job postings in your own facility. Ask friends, network among those whom you know, in other areas. I was able to transition into a patient education area for the last fifteen years of my career. If the facility, in which you work, is large and a hospital "corporation," there may be a position that really is your niche other than bedside nursing. Hospital corporations do have the problem of too many in administration, and most are "top heavy" pyramids, but the plus is that there are more opportunities to change direction, still using the education and skills that you have acquired. Best of luck to you in your search.

Beth is absolutely correct. Nursing offers so many options other than in clinical areas. I, too, felt burned out and had the opportunity to parley my knowledge into the area of patient education. I worked in the pre-operative education area, for the adult and pediatric populations for the last fifteen years of an over thirty year career. This included calls to follow up patients, and often multiple calls in the, more fragile, pediatric population. In my area the demographics changed after a large manufacturing corporation left, and the population base was left trying to exist with two and three jobs per person. These jobs had no benefits and lower salaries than one full time manufacturing positions had been paying.

When the discouraged student passes her boards, she may not find the position that she for which she is satisfied, but she will find employment. The best part of a profession, such as nursing, is that there are many opportunities to learn and grow, and that there are other areas than bedside clinical nursing, if the clinical areas are not where she wishes to be. Of course, she must be strong enough to tell the boy friend, that he either supports her decision/s or for him to "get lost." Unless he changes his attitude, she needs him about as much as a "fish needs a bicycle." I must say, that Hobberdog needs an "attitude adjustment" him or herself. The nervous student, many students who are about to graduate are insecure regarding their futures, does not need your negativity. You do not know her, so you do not know if she will be successful in her career, do you? I hope that when she passes her boards that you are not the one who is chosen to be her mentor. She, like all new graduate RNs, need a year with a knowledgeable, competent, patient preceptor.

(Quote) What would be the benefit of admitting an adult parent to a pediatric unit simply because there is no adult present to care for an otherwise well child Most of the Pedi Units, in my area, are where newly discharged moms and babes are admitted if either the mom or the babe has a medical issue after the mom and babe have been discharged from the Mother/Baby Unit, AKA Maternity/Postpartum Unit. In this state once the mom is discharged from the Mother/Baby unit she cannot be readmitted to that unit, as there is an infection risk. This was not at all unusual, although I'd not seen a pre eclampsia admit post partum, we did have mom's with DVTs or babes with high bilirubins admitted to the Pedi Unit. As for other babies being admitted without being ill, I can cite one case albeit it was unusual. A child was quite ill necessitating frequent admissions with longer than usual hospital stays. The mom stayed with the child, on each and every admit, she helped with homework and the child would have a tutor once stable. She gave birth to another child, during her older child's well period, and brought that child with her if the older child needed to be admitted. She was a nursing mom and accommodations were made for her and the baby in her older child's room. They were, and still are, a fabulous family and so appreciative that we could go the "extra mile" for them. A bassinet was loaned to Pedi from the Mother Baby Unit and later, when the baby was too large for the bassinet, a crib from Pedi was used. As for bringing two or more young children with a parent who needs to be admitted, these types of situations are different. Probably CPS would need to be notified. Sadly, in our area, CPS is seen as "punishment," for a parent who cannot properly take care of his or her child.

The RN on the Ortho Unit mentioned that, in an emergency, she could have obtained diapers from the hospital's Pediatric Unit. I was wondering why the mom and babe were not admitted to the Peds Unit? In most hospitals, that is where mom's and newborns are usually admitted, if either the mom or the newborn have medical issues a few days post discharge from the Mother/Baby Unit. Pedi Units are equip to handle both children and women, especially postpartum women who develop medical issues. I fully realize that CPS could be called to temporarily take the baby, or small child/children. However, the fear factor, especially for a poor family, would make an all ready, apprehensive, and sick mother even more anxious.

I can understand why you might have been reluctant to take a postpartum mom and baby on an adult Ortho Unit. At our hospital, it was not unusual to have a postpartum patient be readmitted due to her issue or that of the baby. In such cases both mom and baby were admitted to our pediatric unit. Due to possible infection, readmission to the Mother/Baby Unit was and still is contraindicated and not permitted by JHACO. Peds had diapers, and, also, formula for the baby, if mom was not a nursing mom. Usually, the issues were the mom had a DVT, or the baby had a high bili, and jaundice.

There was more camaraderie on evenings and night shifts. Coworkers seemed to be more willing to help each other, when necessary.

It sounds as if that place might have resembled "Snake Pit," or the facility from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." On the serious side the situation is dangerous for the overburdened staff and their unstable patients. However, was the lack of funding, for staffing, due to a facility that was an inverted pyramid, and top heavy with administration?