Malpractice!?!...huh?

[Monkeyguts]

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I just finished reading an experiential handbook put out by my pharmacy school, and they provide malpractice insurance through the university to the Pharm.D. student (1,000,000/incident, 3,000,000/year). The handbook goes on to say that the Pharm.D. student is strongly advised to purchase malpractice insurance on his/her own during the fourth professional year especially if one plans on volunteering at pharmacies. Have any of you guys heard of this? What about you LVPharm (or other current pharmacy students), have you heard any of this and how much would malpractice insurance cost the typical Pharm.D. 4th year student if one were to purchase such a thing? I am a tad confused now.

 

[phar]

Originally posted by Monkeyguts
I just finished reading an experiential handbook put out by my pharmacy school, and they provide malpractice insurance through the university to the Pharm.D. student (1,000,000/incident, 3,000,000/year). The handbook goes on to say that the Pharm.D. student is strongly advised to purchase malpractice insurance on his/her own during the fourth professional year especially if one plans on volunteering at pharmacies. Have any of you guys heard of this? What about you LVPharm (or other current pharmacy students), have you heard any of this and how much would malpractice insurance cost the typical Pharm.D. 4th year student if one were to purchase such a thing? I am a tad confused now.

was that a joke? malpractice insurance for pharmacist..really???

 

[LSUMED2006]

The way it worked for us is that all malpractice was purchased though the school. We were told that if we were doing an elective that was school sponsored (eg. all of them), the the malpractice purchased through the school would cover us. However, simply volunteering at Joe's pharmacy would require one to purchase their own insurance.

I wouldn't worry about this too much because you will be told exactly when and where to buy insurance. As we were purchasing it through the school, it wasn't expensive at all.

 

[Triangulation]

wow. good or bad this makes for an incredible discussion thread. i gotta find a house in LA, but i'm anxious to hear people's thoughts on this one. This has got broad significance if it's true.

 

[LSUMED2006]

It is true. I think that it boils down to pharmacy schools not wanting to provide malpractice for their students for free in the same way other professional schools do. I don't know exactly why this is, maybe because by nature pharmacy students practice outside of the realm of the school itself, either in a clinical or retail setting. The guy selling the insurance encouraged it for cases that there was a mistake say at your job at rite aide, and you were named in a suit; he went on to say that rite aide's policy and lawyers may not provide you with the coverage needed. However, since you are in a professional school, you may be held more liable than a tech.

This is NOTHING to stress about. Whenever you get to the right time in school, it will be brought up, you pay a small amount (~$100), and forget about it. No big deal.

 

[jdpharmd?]

Oh, it's true. Many pharmacists that I've spoken with work for chain stores. Of course the chains cover the pharmacist for malpractice insurance, etc. but the pharmacists usually also carry their own policy (privately). I don't know if the big corporation would be trying to prove that you somehow didn't qualify for their insurance, or the coverage wasn't enough (in case of an incident) or what, but many pharmacists (even at ride aid) carry their own insurance and have for years.

Jd

 

[Triangulation]

but many pharmacists (even at ride aid) carry their own insurance and have for years.

intriguing

 

[jdpharmd?]

Originally posted by Triangulation
intriguing

This is in Michigan, by the way. I'm not sure how state laws vary on their stipulations of coverage, etc. California might be very different (besides the usual 😀 ).

Jd

 

[Monkeyguts]

jd/pharmd? (have you taken away the question mark recently, to become a jd/pharmd that is).

Do you know how much coverage the Pharmacists you work with have, and how much it personally them costs/month or year?

 

[jdpharmd?]

Originally posted by Monkeyguts
jd/pharmd? (have you taken away the question mark recently, to become a jd/pharmd that is).

Do you know how much coverage the Pharmacists you work with have, and how much it personally them costs/month or year?

Actually, JD just happens to be my initials. I sign my posts with an uppercase J and a lowercase d just for kicks, I've always done it that way. 😀 The phamD was tossed on there for obvious reasons, and the question mark was added so that people wouldn't think I actually had my PharmD yet. I'll be graduating in 2006 (as of this morning, I changed to a 3-year program). I suppose I could take off the "?" but I think that my posts, etc would get reset, and that's no good, plus, I still don't have my degree. If I did anything additional it would be PharmD/PA or PharmD/MD. Neither is currently in the works.

As far as coverage goes, I think that it's reletively cheap. At least that's what I've been told. One of my past employers essentially told me that it makes no sense NOT to carry your own insurance, because it's so cheap. It also makes sense that it would be reasonably priced if your employer already had you covered and you took out your policy as a back-up. I will ask around at work on Saturday to see what people are carrying and try to get some specifics (ie. price/coverage).

Jd

 

[LVPharm]

For my 3rd year rotations, I'll be covered by my school...and I don't plan on getting additional coverage cuz I won't volunteer at another site.

Most every pharmacist I know carries private malpractrice policies, and although I didn't ask about the cost specifically, they have all said that it was rather inexpensive. I'm not gonna worry about this too much...

 

[StevenS]

insurance for pharmacists is pretty cheap. for interns even cheaper.

We all will go and stay sometime
Soon to be victim of a crime
Loose of blood and death is near
Take a number, can you wait right here

Check in - to the place
Reduce your life into disgrace
Isn't there some kind
Of better way

When it's time to operate
Fatalistic figures hold your fate
Just relax you'll feel no pain
Hope they put you in the right domain

Patient helpless to defy
Negligence is why

Check in - to the place
Reduce your life into disgrace
Isn't there some kind
Of better way

Within the laws
They'll rip you off
They wait you off
Malpractice!
And in the end
They'll let you in
Please come again
Malpractice!

Suffer until you get well
Bleak existence like a prison cell
If you find your life is lost
Dedicate the world to pay the cost

Patients helpless to defy
Negligence is why

Check in - to the place
Reduce your life into disgrace
Isn't there some kind
Of better way

Within the laws
They'll rip you off
They wait you off
Malpractice!
And in the end
They'll let you in
Please come again
Malpractice!

 

[LVPharm]

Oh, thanks Steven...now I'm having flashbacks of one of my dormmates who was heavy into Anthrax and Testament back in the early '90s 🙂 He annoyed the **** out of everyone...he was into hockey...he'd blast the music, open the door to his room, then run around hitting stuff with his hockey stick...psycho!

 

[StevenS]

LOL, sorry . surprised anyone recognized it.
btw, just read a report on CNN about starting salaries for college graduates, and pharmacy is nowhere to be found. i guess they dont consider it undergrad , that's why. still weird. chemical engineering tops the list with ~50K btw.