Does a nurse need malpractice insurance? Must a nurse “float” when asked? What does “failure to implement the chain of command” mean? How can nurses avoid accusations of malpractice and negligence?
ALSO RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING CLASSMATE DISCUSSION POST IN 9-10 SENTENCES:
As nurses we focus on what we can do to help the patient heal and get their independence back from a current health care disparity, but it is not very often we think of what may happen when something goes wrong. We hold a responsibility, as nurses, to have the knowledge to accurately give the correct medical education and care to our patients, which unfortunately opens up multiple opportunities for mistakes. According to the Nurses Service Association (2017), to protect us from these unfortunate events, nurses are offered the opportunity to be provided coverage under Nurse Malpractice Insurance. While it is not mandatory for nurses to have malpractice insurance, it is recommended nurses should rely on whoever is implying them to provide liability insurance, in addition to their own personal insurance incase they relocate (Wood, 2011).
While on the unit, you may be asked to transfer to another unit that may be understaffed if needed. Having too little staff is a constant issue in the healthcare setting, but at times there may be room for movement to have nurses go to other areas in need of additional assistance. When asked to float, the nurse is required to follow the request. According to the National Nurses Organizing Committee, the state of California for example, reviews that the refusal to float and accept and assignment for which you are competent may be interspersed by the hospital as insubordination and subject you to discipline. However, it is expected to inform the supervisor if there is a lack of competency within the scope of practice that could put the patient’s life at risk.
To prevent yourself going through a malpractice or causing harm to a patient when help is needed, a nurse should understand that rules and policies of their work setting that involves going up the chain of command. Simply put, invoking the chain of command means moving up the administrative ladder when you believe that your patient’s clinical needs aren’t being met (Morgan, 2003). These ladder include supervisors and other managers to help find a resolution to the problem. Without doing this, you may put yourself in jeopardy of losing your license. In addition to this, the nurse may also remember to document, or it is as if it never happened.
With malpractice in the healthcare field being such a common issue when medical mistakes are made, nurse and other medical professionals will do all they can to avoid these sort of accusations. Some ways a nurse can protect themselves from malpractice claims include proper communication with the physician, patient and caregivers involved. Communication, along with so many other important points such as documenting, can be one of the most important things to do to avoid getting into a difficult situation. In some cases, failure to communicate can cause or contribute to failure to rescue resulting in a code or a patient’s death (Reising, 2015). It is so imperative to make sure you as a nurse communicate every detail of care and discharge information, document what was said and the concerns talked about, monitor the patient for abnormalities and profession, and to follow the healthcare facilities policies. In this case, it is always a good thing to do more than expected, for your job is at stake.