Should I or should I not have my own personal nursing liability insurance???...

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  1. Should I have my own personal nursing liability insurance?

    • 24
      Yes
    • 1
      No

25 members have participated

So, I have been a Registered Nurse for 3 years now and I have never had . I just started a new full time staff nurse in southern California, mother-baby. Nurses at my previous job in a different state advised me to not get it. I haven't had insurance yet as a practicing nurse. What should I do???!! Pros/cons?

Your facility has Nothing to gain by denying your competence. That would mean... they are employing incompetent personnel.

They will cover your azz, unless you do something totally out of your scope of practice.

Talk to your risk management peeps.

its not worth taking that chance for the want of $100 per year...I'm a nursing student and am required to have it - right now its $25 a year for $1M/$6M coverage - coming from a former insurance agent don't EVER expect any one else to cover your loins

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My opinion is NO, most definitely not. In my experience over almost 20 years, is the people with are the ones the lawyers seek out in civil suits. They go for the caregivers who they think have "pockets". Makes you an automatic target.

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You need insurance .Do not forget the BON is out there to protect the patients ,not you. Do you not hear attorney's TV commercials?

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Please, tell me where I can get the for $100 dollars per year? I needed for the RN to BSN online program I will be attending online at Florida Atlantic University. Thanks!

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Specializes in Wilderness Medicine, ICU, Adult Ed..

Actually, the plaintiff does NOT have to prove anything in order to name you in a lawsuit, he or she only has to alleged liability. If the plaintiff fails to prove his or her allegation, you win and they cannot collect money from you. So everything is fine and dandy, right? Wrong! You will probably have to pay thousands of dollars in legal fees in order to establish that you are not liable. Do you have 5 - 10 K in the bank just sitting there in case you need to pay a lawyer? I didn't think so. Do you believe that juries never make mistakes, and find nurses liable even though they were not? Do you really think that it is impossible that maybe, just one time, on a shift from Hell it will never be possible for you to make a single mistake? If you do, I want to invite you to come and visit my unicorn ranch, because you might as well believe in them too.

O.P.; YES, you need . Your employer does not have any obligation to defend you if you are sued. None. You can also be sued for acts performed outside of your employment. Who do you think will defend you then? That's right, nobody; you will be all alone.

Even if you have done nothing wrong, the legal fees you have to pay to establish that can ruin you, and, you could be held responsible even if you did nothing wrong by a jury sympathetic to the plaintiff. Own a house? Not anymore; the plaintiff owns it now as part of the settlement. Making income at a job? Not anymore; now your wages are being attached by order of the court and you have to live on whatever is left after the plaintiffs get their share, possibly for the rest of your working life.

Now, compare that to the cost of malpractice insurance. You are a fool not to have it.

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So, I have been a Registered Nurse for 3 years now and I have never had liability insurance. I just started a new full time staff nurse in southern California, mother-baby. Nurses at my previous job in a different state advised me to not get it. I haven't had insurance yet as a practicing nurse. What should I do???!! Pros/cons?
I work in corrections and have always had it not used it yet but as another poster said for $100/yr it's nice to have and I use it as a work tax deduction.
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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Always have, always will. So the answer will always be YES

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Specialty Infusions.

For years and years I did not carry any. But then I signed up for some because it was so cheap. Eight months later, I had an evil doctor trying to get a family to sue me for negligence resulting in a patients death. A patient I never even saw, new nothing about, and was a DNR and another nurse was taking care of.

I guess because the doctor picked up television monitor and hit me and then getting the family to sue me was his version of a best defense is a good offense.

Within a week of notifying the company, I had 3 seperate lawyers contact me from three seperate states. All said the same thing, "Hmmm, clear case of harrassment, don't worry about it, the charges will be dropped."

Sure enough, they were a few weeks later.

So I am telling you, you would be CRAZY not to carry your own malpractice insurance. Run right now with your check and application to the mailbox!

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Specializes in Hospice, ER.

Yes. Small change for big peace of mind. Get mine through NSO online. A fellow nurse at work also does legal consulting and the stories she tells me are frightening. If many nurses had malpractice they would have their bills pain. One nurse has a judgement against her for $3000 per month - she has no . Very scary stuff.

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The College of Nurses of Ontario recommends that the members are part of a Recognized Nursing Association like ONA, RPNAO, RNAO that way we are covered because the package include . I don't know how it works in US. Initially I was not part of any nursing organization and no liability insurance whatsoever; but since I received the notice, I have been part of an Organization since then. It's good to have the the insurance.

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Specializes in psych, general, emerg, mash.

in this day and age of paranoia, or I'll get you, especially in nurse patient scenerio, get it! Cheap insurance against someone who is vindictive..OR ask your employer for their view.

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Specializes in M/S, Telemetry, stepdown, dialysis.
So, I have been a Registered Nurse for 3 years now and I have never had liability insurance. I just started a new full time staff nurse in southern California, mother-baby. Nurses at my previous job in a different state advised me to not get it. I haven't had insurance yet as a practicing nurse. What should I do???!! Pros/cons?

I have it. Have had it since Nursing school (19 yrs). Haven't had to use it but if you work in a hospital and a sentinal event happens under your watch, bet your sweept bippy that they will go after anyone involved, the hospital, MD, nurses etc. The hospital won't protect you. Just that piece of mind knowing you're covered isw good enough for me. Check out NSO. They have a very good policy and very inexpensive. Good Luck!

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