Malpractice insurance for RNs?

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 7, 2013

Just think about this:

The facility you work for may say they will cover you under their insurance.

But.... whose interest do you think their lawyers will be looking out for?

(Hint- it's not yours.)

Better to have it and never need it than to need it and have the facility throw you under the bus.

amoLucia · Sep 7, 2013

Having your OWN malpractice insurance is the best thing you can do for yourself to protect your career & assets.

Think about it - you should never be driving your car without auto insurance. You have home owner's insurance. You should have HEALTH insurance.

It is hoped you never have to USE any of them, but it's a safety net 'JUST IN CASE'.

I graduated almost 40 years ago, and I've had malpractice insurance all that time from Day One! And that was in the day when the world wasn't so 1-800 dial-a-lawyer crazy!!

Malpractice insurance? Don't work without it?

SummerLei · Sep 7, 2013

Thanks guys. I am going to look into this and get it as soon as possible!

bratmobile · Sep 7, 2013

Hi I had malpractice ins but after meeting with my insurance guy who always does a great job keeping my costs down he said I already have a clause in my existing homeowners policy similar to malpractice ins that covers me for inflicting any harm anywhere I go (8-0 lol (even at work) so he said I did not really need extra ins because this one covers my net worth which is what he recommends . So if you have something in place already then u might not need it but I do suggest some sort of coverage and the malpractice wasn't too expensive anyway.. Better safe than sorry!

elkpark · Sep 7, 2013

Hi I had malpractice ins but after meeting with my insurance guy who always does a great job keeping my costs down he said I already have a clause in my existing homeowners policy similar to malpractice ins that covers me for inflicting any harm anywhere I go (8-0 lol (even at work) so he said I did not really need extra ins because this one covers my net worth which is what he recommends . So if you have something in place already then u might not need it but I do suggest some sort of coverage and the malpractice wasn't too expensive anyway.. Better safe than sorry!

A number of people have posted here over the years that they are covered by a rider on their homeowner's insurance policy. However, the standard nursing professional liability (malpractice) policies cover quite a bit other than simply paying the judgment if you are sued for malpractice and found liable. They provide legal representation if you have to appear before the BON to defend your license, and they provide legal representation and cover expenses (travel, lost wages) if you are called as a witness in a suit against someone else (oh, say, some physician you work with). Either of those things is much more likely to happen in the course of a nurse's career than actually being named in a lawsuit.

OP -- my father was a physician, and he advised me 'waaaaay back when I was in nursing school (in the Dark Ages :)) to never trust my employer to look out for my interests, and to never work a day without my own coverage. Everything I've seen in my career since then has just proven to me what excellent advice that was. I would never work a single day without having my own coverage. If something goes pear-shaped at work (which we all know can happen at any time) and you don't already have insurance, you're screwed -- there's no insurance company on the planet that will sell you coverage for an incident that has already occurred. As already noted, much better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. I consider it the best ~$100 I spend every year.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Sep 7, 2013

I will never practice as a nurse without it.

Heaven forbid that something should happen at work...but if it did, I know very well that the facility I work at won't give a rat's rear about what happens to me. I--and nurses in general--are the perfect scapegoats: there's such a glut of us that we're easily replaceable.

Having my own malpractice insurance means that I have people who would be looking out SOLELY for my best interests. Doesn't mean it'll always save my job, but it would help protect my livelihood.

SummerLei · Sep 7, 2013

Thanks for the advice! Do you guys have any suggestions on who to go with when getting malpractice insurance? What are the insurers that y'all use?

BacktotheBeach, ADN, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2013

NSO.com and there is a nice discount for new grads!

amoLucia · Sep 7, 2013

Not working right now but I still re-upped my malpractice insurance. I remembered something said to me a looong time ago about insurance Can't tell how much is really, really accurate but it has always influenced & motivated me to renew.

I once heard it explained that if you were to provide an observation or suggestion to someone (even as simply as your next-door neighbor) you could still be sued. If your neighbor had a negative episode because "my next-door neighbor, THE NURSE, told me yada, yada, yada ... Even if your info was right (or not), and your neighbor followed your info (or not), if they went downhill (negative outcome), you could be held liable.

I believe this kind of scenario meets some of the conditions/grounds for a claim of malpractice/lawsuit.

As I say, I'm not sure how accurate that info is, but I'm not taking any chances. That's also why I very, very, VERY rarely make any healthcare observations, recommendations and/or opinions to family, friends, acquaintances, etc. They must think I'm the dumbest nurse around (and I have PO'd some), but I'm just being careful. Just FYI - I will speak up if I note something serious or of emergency nature.

Hmmm ... come Monday, I think I'm going to call my carrier and ask.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Sep 7, 2013

NSO... Less than $200 for a year...worth every penny

amoLucia · Sep 7, 2013

Malpractice insurance is for LPNs too. They're just as sue-able.