It is a busy Monday night in the emergency department. You’ve arrived with your 2 year old child. You cannot get in to see your family doctor and she’s got a fever of 39.5 C, a sore throat and an earache.Your daughter’s crying and miserable. There is a long line up at triage. Eventually you are seen and assessed by a triage nurse and then sent to the waiting room. The waiting room is packed, your child is miserable and you are wondering how long are you going to have to wait for?
The first of 4 of a series of articles prepared for CARE Magazine on the 5 most common allegations associated with nursing negligence lawsuits
When medical errors cause lasting injury, the patient can sue both the doctor and the nurse. This can result in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Nurses who have been through this experience describe it as extremely difficult; as difficult as other catastrophic life events such as death, divorce and job loss. The experience of being sued affected their work life, personal life, health and wellbeing. Emotions such as shock, shame, anger, depression and fear were common. Many nurses felt so isolated by their peers that they left their jobs. You don’t want this to happen to you.