What happens to CRNA's that make too many mistakes?

[cl05]

I am in nursing school, but I have been reading a lot about nurse anesthestists, and what they do. It seems that they are paid a lot of money, and rightfully so. They carry a lot of responsibility, and have to make life or death decisions. But I started wondering, what if the CRNA or even the MDA makes the wrong choice that results in a death of the patient? I was watching one of those law shows awhile back, and there was this episode where this doctor was being sued(it wasn't for anesthesia), but he was freaking out because he said if he lost, and was found guilty, he wouldn't be able to practice anymore because no insurance company would insure him, or it would be too expensive, or something like that. I realize that was just a tv show, but what happens in real life if something like that happens? After all, people do make mistakes, and make wrong decisions, and in anesthesia where it can be life or death, what happens to the CRNA after?

[jwk]

I am in nursing school, but I have been reading a lot about nurse anesthestists, and what they do. It seems that they are paid a lot of money, and rightfully so. They carry a lot of responsibility, and have to make life or death decisions. But I started wondering, what if the CRNA or even the MDA makes the wrong choice that results in a death of the patient? I was watching one of those law shows awhile back, and there was this episode where this doctor was being sued(it wasn't for anesthesia), but he was freaking out because he said if he lost, and was found guilty, he wouldn't be able to practice anymore because no insurance company would insure him, or it would be too expensive, or something like that. I realize that was just a tv show, but what happens in real life if something like that happens? After all, people do make mistakes, and make wrong decisions, and in anesthesia where it can be life or death, what happens to the CRNA after?

A single mistake is not usually a huge problem, unless it was just a total screwup, for example an entirely preventable patient death at the hands of a chemically impaired anesthesia provider. A pattern of mistakes is a huge red flag for malpractice insurance companies. They can either not write a policy at all, or make it cost-prohibitive through high premiums and/or high deductibles.

I recently reviewed a case on behalf of an anesthesiologist who was being sued along with everyone else in the hospital on a bad-baby case. In the end, the OB doc had to retire - he had had too many malpractice suits go against him, and he became uninsurable.