Author Question: A nurse works full time on the oncology unit at the hospital and works part time on weekends giving ... (Read 139 times)

ahriuashd · **on:** Jul 22, 2018

A nurse works full time on the oncology unit at the hospital and works part time on weekends giving immunizations at the local pharmacy. While giving an injection on a weekend, the nurse caused injury to the patient's arm and is now being sued.

How will the hospital's malpractice insurance provide coverage for this nurse?
a. It will provide coverage as long as the nurse followed all procedures, protocols, and policies correctly.
b. The hospital's malpractice insurance covers this nurse only during the time the nurse is working at the hospital.
c. As long as the nurse has never been sued before this incident, the hospital's malpractice insurance will cover the nurse.
d. The hospital's malpractice insurance will provide approximately 50 of the coverage the nurse will need.

Question 2

A nursing student has been written up several times for being late with providing patient care and for omitting aspects of patient care and not knowing basic procedures that were taught in the skills course one term earlier.

The nursing student says, I don't understand what the big deal is. As my instructor, you are there to protect me and make sure I don't make mistakes. What is the best response from the nursing instructor?
a. You are practicing under the license of the hospital's insurance.
b. You are expected to perform at the level of a professional nurse.
c. You are expected to perform at the level of a prudent nursing student.
d. You are practicing under the license of the nurse assigned to the patient.

skipfourms123 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
Malpractice insurance provided by the employing institution covers nurses only while they are working within the scope of their employment. It is always wise to find out if malpractice insurance is provided by a secondary place of employment, in this case, the pharmacy, or the nurse should carry an individual malpractice policy to cover situations such as this. The hospital policy would not provide coverage even if the nurse followed all procedures and policies or had never been sued. It will not provide 50 of coverage.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
Although nursing students are not employees of the health care facility where they are having their clinical experience, they are expected to perform as professional nurses would in providing safe patient care. Different levels of standards do not apply. No standard is used for nursing students other than that they must meet the standards of a professional nurse. Student nurses do not practice under anybody's license; nursing students are liable if their actions exceed their scope of practice or cause harm to patients.