LEGAL TIPS FOR NURSES

Nurse Practice Act

You can obtain ac copy of the Nurse Practice Act from your State Board of Nursing. This is the standard that will be used if a malpractice suite is filed. Become familiar with the acts and duties in your area of practice. These will vary from state to state.

 

Policy and Procedure Manuals

Become familiar with the general nursing manual as well as any that pertain to your specific area of practice. If your hospital's policy differs from the Nurse Practice Act, follow the guidelines of the Nurse Practice Act. Note: if there is ever a negative outcome, the licensed nurse will be judged by the standard of the Nurse Practice Act.

 

Insurance

There are two types of insurance:

 

Occurrence Type: The company that covered you during the period of the occurrence will be responsible for damage and expenses.

 

Claims Type: The company will cover any claims made while the policy is in effect, no matter when the occurrence happened.

 

Education

Continuing education is a necessity.

It keeps you informed of the most current changes and innovations in your specialty area, it is an area that attorneys will investigate if a claim is filed.

 

License and certification must remain current at all times. This is another area that attorneys will investigate if a claim is filed.

 

Terms to Become Familiar With

Negligence: failure to act as a reasonably prudent person would act under the same circumstances – failure to do something.

 

Malpractice: negligence by a professional.

 

Assault: threat or attempt to inflict bodily harm combined with the ability to commit the act.

 

Battery: intentional harmful or offensive contact that occurs without consent (use of restraints with out an order or a written policy of protocol).

Libel: publication of defamatory statements.

 

Slander: oral defamatory statements

 

Statute of Limitations: there are periods defined by state statute during which you may file a claim or it is forever barred.

 

Informed Consent: Permission given for a proposed treatment or procedure following full disclosure of risks, benefits and alternatives by the physician – when you are asked to sign your name as a witness on the consent from.

Remember you are a witness to the patient's signature only.

 

Physician Orders:

Telephone Orders: Repeat each order t verify what you heard is what was ordered. Never assume.

 

Illegible Orders: Ask the physician for the interpretation. Do not guess.

 

Inappropriate Orders: Remind the physician of the policy and standards. If the physician insists that the order be completed, contact he supervisor immediately

 

Documentation Tips and Practices:

 

•   Be accurate

•   Use only approved abbreviations (found in the Policy and Procedures Manual).

•   If you make a mistake, draw a single line through it and write "mistake in entry" followed by your initials.

•   Document calls to doctors. Record the time the call was placed as well as when the call was returned.

•   Document all teaching done with the patient and the patient's family.

•   Document the review of "discharge instructions" including the review of any medications prescribed and any handouts provided.

•   Record effects of medications as well as the des, time, route and reactions.

•   If anything out of the ordinary occurs, record all pertinent information.

•   If you perform a procedure on a patient assigned t another nurse, you must document your actions in the patient's chart.

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach in Law and Legal Education

It need not be emphasized that there is hardly any walk of life or branch of knowledge that does not impact law and legal that does not impact law and legal education and vice-versa. The era in which law was taught as an isolated discipline is long gone. So legal education, if taken seriously, is a confluence of all branches of knowledge. Teaching and learning law with economic, political, historical philosophical life science, technological and other such perspectives and reading them through legal perspective is one of the greatest challenges that universities in general and law universities and department in particular need to meet in earnest.

For example, learning how to write a patent requires law students to learn various nuances of science and technology, while a basic understanding of architecture is requisite for providing of architecture is requisite for providing legal advice to the construction industry.

Beside, the current global financial crisis is a clear illustration as to how a law student need to understand not only law but also banking systems, fundamentals of financing, accounting project designing and much more.

A law student has to face the challenges of global world. And as the profession becomes more and more global, it becomes imperative to understand the historical, political and economic foundations and dimensions of the functioning of global institutions. But then, how well are our law schools equipped to shoulder this responsibility? And is the curricular or the courses adequate?

Therefore, the lack of faculty trained in multiple disciplines and without varying professional experiences on one side and the non- availability of resources and infrastructure required on the other become issues of prime importance.

FINDING COMPETENT FACULTY

The problem o finding competent faculty can be met, albeit temporarily, if senior members of the bar take sabbatical leave to be on university campuses for four to six weeks a year on a rotational basis.

Their presence on these campuses would bring new dimensions and richness to the teaching, learning and research. Further, it would also help the faculty to draw on their expertise for updating revising and introducing new courses and curriculum. Their presence would be motivating and inspiring for the aspiring lawyers. If a senior advocate or a judge takes a two-months sabbatical every three years to help the law schools, they would help further the cause of legal education in the country. Beside, they owe it to the profession and to themselves as part of the legal fraternity.

Legal Tips For Nurses

Nurse Practice Act

You can obtain ac copy of the Nurse Practice Act from your State Board of Nursing. This is the standard that will be used if a malpractice suite is filed. Become familiar with the acts and duties in your area of practice. These will vary from state to state.

Policy and Procedure Manuals

Become familiar with the general nursing manual as well as any that pertain to your specific area of practice. If your hospitals policy differs from the Nurse Practice Act, follow the guidelines of the Nurse Practice Act. Note: if there is ever a negative outcome, the licensed nurse will be judged by the standard of the Nurse Practice Act.

Insurance

There are two types of insurance:

Occurrence Type: The company that covered you during the period of the occurrence will be responsible for damage and expenses.

Claims Type: The company will cover any claims made while the policy is in effect, no matter when the occurrence happened.

Education

Continuing education is a necessity. It keeps you informed of the most current changes and innovations in your specialty area, it is an area that attorneys will investigate if a claim is filed.

License and certification must remain current at all times. This is another area that attorneys will investigate if a claim is filed.

Terms to Become Familiar With

Negligence: failure to act as a reasonably prudent person would act under the same circumstances failure to do something.

Malpractice: negligence by a professional.

Assault: threat or attempt to inflict bodily harm combined with the ability to commit the act.

Battery: intentional harmful or offensive contact that occurs without consent (use of restraints with out an order or a written policy of protocol).
Libel: publication of defamatory statements.

Slander: oral defamatory statements

Statute of Limitations: there are periods defined by state statute during which you may file a claim or it is forever barred.

Informed Consent: Permission given for a proposed treatment or procedure following full disclosure of risks, benefits and alternatives by the physician when you are asked to sign your name as a witness on the consent from. Remember you are a witness to the patients signature only.

Physician Orders:

Telephone Orders: Repeat each order t verify what you heard is what was ordered. Never assume.

Illegible Orders: Ask the physician for the interpretation. Do not guess.

Inappropriate Orders: Remind the physician of the policy and standards. If the physician insists that the order be completed, contact he supervisor immediately

Documentation Tips and Practices:

Be accurate
Use only approved abbreviations (found in the Policy and Procedures Manual).
If you make a mistake, draw a single line through it and write mistake in entry followed by your initials.
Document calls to doctors. Record the time the call was placed as well as when the call was returned.
Document all teaching done with the patient and the patients family.
Document the review of discharge instructions including the review of any medications prescribed and any handouts provided.
Record effects of medications as well as the des, time, route and reactions.
If anything out of the ordinary occurs, record all pertinent information.
If you perform a procedure on a patient assigned t another nurse, you must document your actions in the patients chart.