Medical Malpractice in Tucson, Arizona
Any medical provider can commit medical malpractice in Tucson, AZ. That includes nurse practitioners and physician assistants, as well. At Banner University Medical Center Tucson, Tucson Medical Center, Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital, Northwest Medical Center, and the other Tucson area hospitals, physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) are utilized in emergency rooms every day. NPs may practice on their own without the supervision of a doctor. In contrast, PAs practice under the supervision of a doctor. Both NPs and PAs are used as “physician extenders,” meaning they supplement or augment the role of medical doctors in the hospital. Additionally, NPs and PAs save the hospitals significant amounts of money as they cost less to employ than medical doctors. Saving money, however, does not equal better or similar care to that rendered by a doctor who has significantly more education and training than NPs and PAs. Nevertheless, if you find yourself needing treatment at an emergency room, the odds are good that a NP or PA, not a medical doctor, will be examining and treating you.
How do NPs and PAs commit malpractice?
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants commit medical malpractice in several ways: They can misdiagnose, mistreat, and prescribe wrong medications, and they can also commit negligence during a surgical procedure. Any one of these negligent occurrences can cause catastrophic injury or death.
You may be wondering, “If a PA or NP commits malpractice whom do I need to sue?” Depending on the circumstances of the malpractice, you may need to sue the NP, him/herself; the NP’s employer, and possibly the Tucson hospital he or she was employed by or contracted with. With a PA, you will need to sue the PA and his or her employer, the PAs supervising physician and his or her employer, and the Tucson hospital where the malpractice occurred.
What should I do?
Many potential issues can arise in medical malpractice cases that are complex and nuanced. It is always best to have an experienced medical malpractice lawyer in your corner. If you or a loved one has suffered from medical malpractice, contact us today via email or call the experienced Tucson medical malpractice lawyers at Snyder & Wenner now at 602-224-0005 to fight for you.
