The Greatest Gify For Graduating Students

[surgblumm]

A Gift that Stays with You from Start to Finish

Robert M. Blumm, MA, PA-C, DFAAPA

 

You are soon to be graduating from your PA Program, a program that has taken control of your relationships, your free time and your daily time. You owe yourself a pat on the back because you are a survivor; you have run the course and finished the race and now you can take a deep breath and smell the aroma of victory. In two weeks, you will be starting a search for your first PA professional employment, unless you have been fortunate enough to have already secured that gift. Employment is not the end of a journey. It is, rather, just the beginning. Now you must develop the expertise that draws upon all your knowledge and your certification and place it into cohesive scenrios in your mind. There are no expert PA graduates. During your quest for excellence, there may be errors of commission or ommision that make you liable for a litigation. Therefore, let's look at the reality of what will happen next.

If you make an error that injures a patient, you are now a liable caregiver and, for this reason, you need to have a liability insurance policy. Many hospitals and employers supply you with this general insurance, but it has severe limitations which you are soon to see. This is the reason why mature and experienced PA leaders suggest that you purchase a personal liability insurance policy with your name upon the cover sheet. A personal liability insurance plan is a substantial expense, one which you need and, yet, one which you may not have the money for. How can you start a career with 100,000 of student loans and, on top of this, pay for an insurance plan?

Fortunately, the answer is none other than your special AAPA endorsed insurance company, CM&F. The owners of this company have taken a long hard look at the situations that a new graduate is confronted with and have developed a policy that called AAPA New To Practice.

This new policy is affordable and has been designed to save you thousands of dollars starting the first day you practice. This policy will start as a claims made and, at year six, it will become Occurence, the hallmark of all policies. The continuing gift is that you will have free tail insurance, regardless of your specialty. This offer is only made to AAPA members; therefore, you need to join your national organization. I have been a member throughout my entire career and have had fun going to meetings and, occasionally, making ripples in the force.

Your first year policy will cost $300.00 whereas your competitor would charge $1600.00. Your second year will cost $750.00 whereas your competitor will charge $4,000.00 and your third year will cost $2,500 where , once again, the competitor will charge you $5,225.00. This opportunity is open to you as you graduate and is offered by AAPA Insurance Services, working for you for a better tomorrow. For more information contact www.AAPANewToPractice.com

[cinntsp]

I'll definitely be picking this up after talking with the folks at the booth in Boston.

[winterallsummer]

Is this really needed when employers offer malpractice? Or just another company cashing in on already heavily indebted pas?

[Woody85]

^^^Exactly

[cinntsp]

I'm hoping to moonlight while in residency and wonder if showing up with my own coverage would be appealing to employers.  Any experienced PAs have thoughts on that?

[rcdavis]

I'm hoping to moonlight while in residency and wonder if showing up with my own coverage would be appealing to employers. Any experienced PAs have thoughts on that?

Think about this: employer provider malpractice has, as it's primary client, the employer. If it comes down to settling a claim by paying off, your input is not requested, it is a decision between the insurance company and the employer. Happened to me and the FIRST. I knew of it was a quick note from the national practitioner data bank....

 

Malpractice self insurance has one client: you. Nothing is done without your permission, within the restrictions of the policy. It is portable, providing you stay in the same classification of practice (eg emergency medicine, urgent care, family practice all can be clumped together ... Surgery or surgical sub specialities probably will need individual policies - orthopedics vs obstetrics, general surgery vs ophthalmology.. Etc).

 

It is ALWAYS better to have your own policy.. Especially if the employer provided insurance wants to settle and your insurance company doesn't. Well worth the money.