In the health care industry this is a must have for all nurses. This is actually your protection for yourself against and all unforeseen situations that you cannot avoid while doing your job. This insurance will protect you from costs of legal and board action, which can be unavoidable at times. You have to face the fact that legal actions, although unwanted, can be a part of every health care professional's career. It is something looming all the time because of the sensitivity of what you are handling: human life. There might be errors that you will commit (unintentionally) and this is what Professional Liability Insurance is trying to protect.
Although we know that employers provide a good amount of coverage for this type of insurance it is still strongly advised that you carry your own. It is a small price to pay to protect your career and save you from the huge cost of legal fees. There are some cases before that even though their employers guaranteed their nurses that they are covered with this insurance it was found out those employers were not properly paying the premiums. Or sometimes when the liability or the cost of legal action is too big, insurance companies refuse to pay the amount like what happened in a legal battle in Massachusetts. Although this is a unique case still we saw that this can actually happen.
What can really happen while you are performing your duties? Even simple everyday routine can be a cause of legal action. That is why health care professionals including doctors are very careful when it comes to performing their jobs.
-You can be sued if you make a mistake while observing a patient or if someone else thinks that you did. This may be very simple when you look at it but the course of action could be huge and expensive. You may be innocent but still you will be taken to court to prove that you are innocent of the charges.
-Someone claims (employer or other party) that you made a mistake in reporting or recording patient's details.
-A doctor will claim that you made an error or misunderstood his directions.
-A patient or a relative of a patient may claim that you have provided inadequate patient care or carried out a differently the instructions given to you by doctors or superiors.
-You are already off duty but you still helped someone with an injury or any health situation (even though you mean well)
There are several things that you should always keep in mind while doing your job and about Professional Liability Insurance. First, make sure that your employer is actually providing you with this insurance and that it stays active all the time. You can have them provide you with written verification that they do purchase malpractice insurance and provide you with the limits or what are included in that coverage. Next is you should also purchase your own insurance. You should get this depending on where you work or where you live and what your specialization is. There are many insurance companies out there. Make sure you shop around first before settling to one.
Another thing you should consider is the difference between occurrence and claims made. Briefly, occurrence refers to the actual time the alleged malpractice took place while claims made refer to the actual time the claim is communicated to you including retroactive coverage for prior activities. Make sure that what is included in your policy are the ones that you actually need.
These are just some of the things you should keep in mind while you are actively performing your job. What you should also remember is even f you are already retired from your job, law suits can still haunt you because of a mistake you made or allegedly committed when you were still on active duty. That is why making sure you are properly covered with Professional Liability Insurance is very important in the performance of your job as a nurse.
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