I was providing the presentation for nursing students at Baptist College for Health Sciences and I asked the question: What is the difference between negligence and malpractice? The room initially went silent, then one attendee stated that it had to do with negligence (yes, it does) and another said it was committed by professionals (yes, this is true). When you combine these two definitions, it gives you the actual definition. Negligence committed by a professional is considered malpractice.
So, what is negligence? Simply put, it’s the failure to do something you should’ve done or doing something you should not have done. It’s the sin of commission or the sin of omission.
When you’re busy taking care of patients, it often becomes easy to take short cuts. It’s not until something goes awry that you “wake up and smell the coffee”. Hopefully, that’s not too late.
The best practice is to figure out what negligence is beforehand and do all you can to avoid it. There are lots of options out there to help you. Consider these resources:
- Nurse Practice Act
- Current Nursing Textbooks
- Recent Nursing Journals
Just remember, as a nurse, you owe a higher standard of care to the patient than that of a nonprofessional. So, be prepared.
