New Jersey Travel Nurse Malpractice Lawyer

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Many hospitals and healthcare facilities deal with temporary or chronic staffing shortages by relying on travel or visiting nurses. Although these nurses have the same licensing and certifications as permanently employed nurses, hospitals may retain them without the same vetting or training that they use for their permanently employed nurses. When you’ve been injured by a visiting nurse’s negligence, a New Jersey travel nurse malpractice lawyer from The Epstein Law Firm, P.A., can help you hold liable parties responsible for your harm and loss. With over 120 years of combined experience, our legal team has the skill and knowledge to handle the most complex medical malpractice cases. Our award-winning litigators have a proven record of success that includes over $100 million recovered for our clients in settlements and verdicts. 

If you’ve suffered harm due to a travel nurse’s negligence, you may have the right to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost income, or pain and suffering. Contact The Epstein Law Firm, P.A., for a free initial claim review to learn how a visiting nursing negligence attorney in Rochelle Park, NJ, can help you pursue the financial relief and accountability you deserve. 

What Are Travel Nurses?

Travel nurses, also called temporary nurses, visiting nurses, floating nurses, or per diem nurses, are nurses who do not work permanently in one healthcare facility. Instead, they work in various hospitals around their community or, in some cases, across the state or country to provide additional staffing for facilities experiencing staffing shortages. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities may rely on travel nurses to cope with temporary staff shortages that occur when a substantial number of a facility’s nurses are out of work on PTO or medical/parental leave. Facilities suffering chronic shortages of nursing staff may also rely on travel nurses to make up the difference so the facility can maintain the required patient/nurse ratios. 

Travel nurses may work at a hospital or healthcare facility on a contract basis for a period of several days, weeks, or months. Alternatively, they might work a day here and there at a hospital as needed to cover for a permanently employed nurse who unexpectedly misses work. 

However, travel nurses are subject to the same regulations and standards as permanently employed nurses, although hospitals and healthcare facilities may not put travel or visiting nurses through the same verification and training as permanently employed nurses. 

Who Might Be Liable for Travel Nurse Malpractice?

Various parties may bear liability for injuries caused by a travel nurse’s malpractice, depending on the circumstances. A hospital may be liable for travel nurse malpractice if it employed the nurse, or if it retained the nurse as an independent contractor, for negligently retaining or supervising the nurse. However, travel nurses are frequently employed by staffing agencies who in turn contract with healthcare facilities to supply travel nurses. The staffing agency might also bear liability for a negligent travel nurse’s conduct. 

How Do You Prove Liability in a Visiting Nurse Negligence Claim?

Proving fault in a travel nurse malpractice claim requires evidence to show how the nurse’s conduct fell outside the applicable standard of care and how that conduct caused injuries or complications. Examples of evidence used in visiting nurse negligence claims include:

• The patient’s medical records, progress charges, medication records, or treatment notes
• Surveillance camera footage
• Eyewitness testimony
• Staffing records or contracts

In most cases, you will also need expert testimony from a nurse with similar training and certifications as the travel nurse. Your expert must explain the applicable standard of care in your case, how the travel nurse’s decisions and actions failed to comply with that standard of care, and how the nurse’s conduct caused your injuries or health complications. 

What Compensation Might You Be Entitled to After Suffering Harm Due to Travel Nurse Malpractice?

A visiting nurse negligence attorney in Rochelle Park, NJ, from The Epstein Law Firm, P.A., can fight on your behalf to recover compensation for financial and personal losses you suffer due to a travel nurse’s malpractice. Your financial recovery might include money for:

• Additional medical treatment and rehabilitation
• Costs of long-term care and assistance for disabilities that result from your injuries or complications
• Ongoing and future losses of income if you miss time from work or suffer a reduction in your earning capacity
• Pain and suffering 
• Loss of enjoyment or quality of life because of physical disabilities or permanent scarring/disfigurement caused by your injuries or medical complications from negligent nursing care

Contact The Epstein Law Firm, P.A., for a Free Claim Review to Speak with a Seasoned Visiting Nurse Negligence Attorney in Rochelle Park, NJ

After being harmed by negligent care from a visiting nurse, you deserve to seek compensation and justice. Contact a New Jersey travel nurse malpractice lawyer at The Epstein Law Firm, P.A., for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your legal options for obtaining a financial recovery.