Ask a Travel Nurse Question:

I was wondering if you think liability insurance is a must for Travel Nurses? And, if so, do you have some recommendations? Thank you!

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:  

I’m sorry to say that I cannot recommend a good liability coverage company as I am a nurse who does not believe in carrying such coverage. Although I know that in our litigious society the possibility of a suit is now greater, I guess I take comfort in the fact that either a physician or hospital’s deep pockets would likely be the target of any litigation.

That does not mean that you cannot be named in a suit, but again, the likely target would probably often be the hospital or physician.

I also believe that should an attorney see a party to an incident who carried malpractice insurance, would have an even greater chance at being named in the suit (possibly even if there was not any fault on the part of the named nurse). If there are any actual lawyers reading this, please post in the comments section if this is an actual possibility.

If this is a concern of yours, there are travel companies that do offer liability insurance for their nurses and I believe if they have such an offering, it is usually free. I recall signing a contract within the past few years where they needed info for such coverage and I told them I did not want it; however, they stated that they required it of their travelers.

The best place to shop this type of coverage would be to first get recommendations from one of the online forums, and then check out which company meets your needs. Some good travel nurse forums can be found at ultimatenurse.com, allnurses.com, and the Delphi forum for traveling professionals (go to delphiforums.com, look for the box on the right that says “Explore existing forums”, type in “travel nursing” and the top result is a group called Travel Nurses and Therapists).

Pan Travelers is also another good site with a forum. They have a free section and also a portion where there is a charge to access that information. They may even have a particular section on this.

You can also join Healthcare Travelbook (healthcaretravelbook.com), which is a sort of Facebook style place for travelers, which also has a forum.

So while coverage is not mandatory for travel nurses, you should also check out the forums and see if there are any “pros vs. cons” postings on liability coverage, and then make your own informed decision on whether or not it is something you’d like to carry.

Hope this helps.

David

david@travelnursesbible.com

Will there be a “Scrubbing In” Season 2?

The fate of MTV’s travel nurse reality show “Scrubbing In” appears to be up in the air. Rumors of cancellation swirled towards the end of the show’s run, but all 10 episodes were aired.

“I’ve traveled before, many times, and this was like no other assignment,” said Fernando in the season one finale, which aired in late December 2013.

And apparently, the show’s depiction was like no other assignment the majority of nurses had ever witnessed either!

Facing a massive outcry from nurses and nursing organizations, MTV eventually responded by agreeing to move the show’s air time to a less prominent slot, re-edit several episodes, and create features that better showcased nurses as professionals, among other efforts.

The network also ran this disclaimer at the start of each episode:

“MTV has the utmost respect for the life-saving work nurses do every day. Scrubbing In follows the lives of nine traveling nurses and is not meant to be representative of all nurses or their experiences.”

Travel Nursing Blogs contacted MTV regarding the future of the show, but MTV did not return Travel Nursing Blogs’ request for comment on the show’s status.

On Twitter, fans of the shows have been bombarding the network with hashtags like #savescrubbingin and #scrubbinginseason2. On December 30 the Save Scrubbing In Twitter account tweeted, “They said they were filming but planning to cancel and they said to keep tweeting if you want it to stay.” The account appears to have been created that same day, and, along with the fan page MTV Scrubbing In (not run by MTV), is encouraging fans to voice their desire for a second season via social media.

On January 5, Scrubbing In cast member Fernando Rodriguez posted a photo to Instagram of himself and fellow cast member Heather Ambrose with the hashtags #scrubbingin and #scrubbin2. Rodriguez did not directly address comments asking if that meant the show was on for a second season.

Cast member Nikki Cirrincione’s exchange with a Twitter follower was perhaps the most definitive answer available at the time of this posting — though not the most satisfying for those wanting to hear a yes or a no. When asked “So is Scrubbing In coming back for another assignment or what?” she answered, on January 8th: “Still waiting to hear!”

Travel Nursing Blogs will stay on the case and keep you posted when we hear a definitive answer to the question: Will there be a “Scrubbing In” Season 2?

Do you want to see “Scrubbing In” back for a second season? Let us know what you think the show’s fate should be in the comments.