What nurses need to know about medical malpractice

Nurses play an important role in a wide variety of medical settings, from nurse practitioners treating patients at clinics, floor nurses monitoring patients in the hospital to surgical nurses who assist in surgeries and nurse midwives who deliver babies.

What all of these nurses have in common is that they are expected to perform their duties with a certain level of care. If they fail to do so, malpractice in nursing has serious consequences. Patients can experience physical harm and sometimes even fatal injuries when a nurse provides substandard care. And those who are affected can pursue a legal claim for damages.