Medical Malpractice: Protecting Yourself
How to protect yourself from malpractice
Should you maintain your own personal protection liability insurance policy when you are already covered by policies provided by an employer or institution? It's a personal decision and one you should think through carefully. Here's what to consider:
Your Employer Policy:
Start by reviewing the policy offered by the company that currently insures you as a nurse. Then compare it with the competition. Carefully weigh the differences and, if necessary and possible, negotiate that your employer pays for additional coverage.
Cost:
Policy prices vary based on company, your length of time in practice, coverage amount, specialty area, practice site(s), previous work history, and usual number of hours worked weekly. The expected cost can vary from several hundred to thousands of dollars per year. Talk to your preceptors, mentors, and colleagues in the field. Shop around—there is great variation in the level of coverage and pricing offered.
Risk:
Increasing numbers of health care professionals are involved in lawsuits annually. As a nurse practitioner, you are now in charge and making decisions. You need to be realistic, and you need to protect yourself, your license, and your livelihood.
Visit these articles from our friends for more information:
• For strategies on protecting yourself from liability visit Minority Nurse, Protecting Nurses from Malpractice: 7 Things You Need to Know.
• If you’re a nurse entrepreneur check out Malpractice Insurance, Telehealth, and Nurse-Entrepreneur on Dailynurse.com.
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