Protecting Yourself as a New Medical Professional: 5 Things You Need to Do

When you have spent many years honing your craft and learning the trade, the last thing you want is for all that to be taken away from you. As a medical professional, it goes without saying that one small mistake can be costly to both yourself, your career and the patient too. And that’s the last thing anyone wants.

So if you’re looking at a career in the medical field in any capacity how can you protect what you’ve worked so hard for?

Have A Written Contract from Your Employer

Before you begin practising, you need to ensure that you have a written and signed contract from your employer. You need a copy, and they need a copy. You also need to ensure that you read the contract thoroughly and understand everything contained in it so that you know exactly where you stand should the worst happen.

If there is anything you are unclear about or think you might have misunderstood, ask for clarification. Take as many notes as you need.

Know What You’re Signing

This is important when signing anything, especially something that can impact another person, e.g., a power of attorney. Again, if you don’t fully understand anything or the terminology being used, mention it and get more clarity. You don’t want to put your signature on something that could come back to bite you years down the line simply because you didn’t read what you were signing or understood some of the different aspects.

Have Insurance

In a world where medical litigation is increasing, protecting yourself by having professional insurance is vital. You need to be looking at taking out cover for medical malpractice to cover you should you find yourself in this situation. Of course, you want to pride yourself into giving the best care and being the best doctor. However, life doesn’t always work like this; mistakes happen, and situations arise you don’t plan for or want to occur. Having appropriate medical malpractice insurance can help you out in this instance.

Know Your Legal Rights

A good idea for everyone, not just in the medical field. Knowing your rights legally and where you stand in different situations will help you understand what you should and shouldn’t be doing and what your employer can ask of you. It will also generally give you a more comprehensive overview of what to expect. Learning more about the patient’s rights and those of your employees towards you and the patient will also be highly beneficial.

Be Vigilant and Diligent

You cannot realistically expect nothing to go wrong during your medical career. However, you can hold a lot of power when it comes to limiting these scenarios and reducing any problems or concerns.

Documenting everything, being vigilant when you treat patients, and dealing with those around you will serve you well. Being thorough means looking at the bigger picture and paying attention to what is happening around you, be it engaging with others at work or treating patients. Don’t let anything fall through the cracks; always be aware of everything you say and do.