The healthcare system is continually evolving and today, any licensed professional healthcare practitioner can be held accountable for any unsafe practices that result in death or injury of a patient through omission of negligence. That said, it is not just doctors that can be sued in case of any scandalous issues. This risk, coupled with the limitations that exist with employer liability coverage brings about the need for nurses to purchase a professional liability insurance. The healthcare profession holds a common myth that it is only doctors who get sued because it is easy to point fingers, considering the fact that they are the ones who give the original orders (Bolt, 2015) . For this reason, doctors are the team leaders in any medical practice, and they are assumed to bear full responsibility. The ease with which responsibility can be passed off to the doctor results in healthcare being a dangerous place that is often characterized with patient negligence.
It is our job as nurses to ensure that we question and review all orders to eliminate the chances of negligence occurring. As an RN, I believe in the need to insure my nursing license just to stay protected. The nursing profession tends to be highly stressful and emotional. Nurses have to deal with life and death cases, volatile situations, patients, and families on a daily basis. A liability insurance comes in handy to keep the nurse protected out of the workplace setting in situations where workplace coverage does not count. An employer only takes responsibility for the incidents that occur within the scope of employment, which mean that an employee is not covered for any events that happen out of the work environment. It is here that the professional liability insurance comes in handy.
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Another reason why I feel it is necessary to insure my nursing license is for the simple (not so simple) reason that it will give me peace of mind (Ferguson, 2019) . As trained healthcare professionals who have received extensive training, we are always expected to bring on our “A” game at all time. However, the truth is that we are all human and mistakes tend to be inevitable. An employer’s insurance comes with certain limitations as far as the coverage of a nurse in case of a malpractice is concerned. Insuring my nursing license will keep me at peace during situations such as these.
References
Bolt. (2015). The Significance of Professional Liability Insurance. Retrieved from https://www.boltinsurance.com/the-significance-of-professional-liability-insurance/
Ferguson, S. (2019). What Is Professional Liability Insurance?. Retrieved from https://www.thehartford.com/business-playbook/in-depth/professional-liability-errors-omissions-insurance