"malpractice" insurance for nurses?

[maxcat]

Is there such a thing? I'm hoping to start a nursing program next year, and have been working as an aide in a LTC facility. Recently there was an "incident" (not involving me...) involving a nurse and a resident, and I overheard the other nurses talking about how this could be a legal issue, etc...

I've heard that some nurses carry insurance-to protect them against thing like this. I've also had other nurses tell me not to get it.

What's the deal with all of this? I have this fear of becoming a nurse, making a mistake, getting sued, and losing everything.

[elkpark]

There are many threads here about professional liability coverage ("malpractice insurance"). It would be easy to do a search to find them, and have a good read. Whether or not to carry your own coverage is a personal decision, but plenty of us here (experienced nurses) would never consider working a day without it.

[FARMER1870]

It's definitely important to get your own Liability Insurance. I would never work a day without it. Prices vary by state, but it is not expensive. You can go to www.NSO.com for liability insurance. This company deals with only professionals such as nurses, doctors etc...

[JustEnuff2BDangerous, BSN, RN]

I would imagine that other nurses told you not to get it because they feel that if a patient knows you have malpractice insurance, they will be more likely to sue you.

Whether or not this is true varies according to the personality of the patient I guess, some will sue you just because you positioned them wrong on the bedpan!

There is a simple fix to that - I highly recommend having malpractice insurance, but also highly recommend not making it public knowledge that you have it. Most people would recommend that you never tell any patient you have malpractice insurance, mostly because its just none of their business. :)

[maxcat]

thanks-in looking at the older threads on it, it looks super cheap, so it's a no-brainer. I was told by one nurse (in real life) that I shouldn't get it, because yes-then I'd be more likely to be sued. But yes-if someone's going to sue, they're going to sue anyways, and I can't see why I'd go telling patients that I have insurance @@. Anyways, I'd rather have my insurance deal, than risk losing my home/personal assets... and for the $89 or whatever it was, it's an obvious no brainer. Whew-makes me feel better, about going into nursing, knowing that most people have some sort of protection and that it's not cost prohibitive.

[Freedom42]

Yes, it's cheap. New nurses get a 50 percent price break from NSO.

I don't understand the "you're more likely to get sued if you have insurance" argument since no one knows whether you have insurance until you are actually sued and your carrier has to respond. Still, that's a popular argument.

It's not just working nurses who need coverage. The nursing program you attend might require you to carry liability for clinicals. The program I attended strongly urged students to carry it at a cost of $27 for the year. That's peanuts for peace of mind.

[Katnip, RN]

Some insurances will also cover you if you're volunteering. From what I understand, not all do.

Also, if you're reported to the BON for any reason, legitimate or not, you policy may cover at least some of the expenses of defending yourself. Never a bad idea.