Do CRNA get sued often?

Editorial team Published on

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) face lawsuits more often than other nursing specialties, but they are sued less frequently than high-risk medical doctors like surgeons.

Anesthesia work involves high medical risks and many moving parts. Because of this, CRNAs are often targets when a patient suffers an unexpected injury or outcome.

Common Malpractice Claims

  • Poor monitoring: Failing to watch a patient's vital signs closely enough during a procedure.
  • Procedure errors: Making mistakes while placing breathing tubes or delivering anesthesia drugs.
  • Improper positioning: Leaving a patient in a bad physical posture that causes nerve or tissue damage. You can read more about these issues in The 3 Most Common CRNA Malpractice Claims.

What Happens in Lawsuits?

  • Broad naming: Lawyers often name every medical professional listed on a patient's chart at the start of a lawsuit.
  • Dismissals: Many early claims get dropped or dismissed during the legal investigation once the facts come to light.
  • Insurance protection: Professional groups like the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology strongly advise CRNAs to carry their own individual malpractice insurance policies.

How often do nurse anesthetists get sued?

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) face a moderate risk of malpractice lawsuits and are among the most frequently sued nursing specialties, though absolute statistical frequency per individual practitioner remains relatively low compared to high-risk surgical physician specialties.

Frequency and Context

  • Specialty comparison: While anesthesiologists face lifetime claim rates of 75% to 90%, CRNAs account for a notable share of advanced practice nursing legal actions—representing roughly 22% of advanced practice registered nurse malpractice payment records in historical national data databases.
  • Common claims: Litigation usually arises from acute, high-severity events. Frequent allegations include:
    • Sub-par performance or technical errors during procedures
    • Failure to adequately monitor the patient
    • Complications with intubation or airway management

Risk Factors and Protection

  • Time lag: Malpractice claims typically take 18 to 24 months from the initial incident to an official lawsuit filing.
  • Insurance coverage: Because of these exposures, individual professional liability policies (such as those from NSO Malpractice Insurance) and employer tail coverage are standard safeguards in the profession.

What type of nurse gets sued the most?

Home care nurses face the most professional liability and malpractice claims among nursing specialties.

Most Sued Specialties and Roles

  • Home care and hospice: Account for the highest percentage of nursing malpractice claims (around 20.7% to over 36% depending on specific reporting brackets), largely due to the isolated nature of the work and high patient autonomy.
  • Medical-surgical nursing: Historically tops or closely follows the list for high claim frequency because of heavy patient loads and high ratios.
  • Registered Nurses (RNs): Represent about 86.8% of all nursing-related lawsuits compared to LPNs or students, because RNs carry higher independent clinical autonomy.

Common Reasons for Nursing Lawsuits

  • Treatment and care errors: Represent the majority of allegations (over 56%).
  • Medication mistakes: Often stem from bypassing safety procedures or dosage tracking.
  • Documentation failures: Incomplete or inaccurate records frequently weaken a nurse's defense during legal reviews.
  • Patient outcomes: Patient death or permanent severe disability make up the highest-cost and most frequent injury claims.

Which type of doctor gets sued the most?

Neurosurgeons face malpractice claims at the highest annual rate, with roughly 19.1% facing a lawsuit each year.

According to data from the American Medical Association and long-term medical studies, high-risk surgical and procedural specialties top the list for frequency of lawsuits.

Most Sued Medical Specialties (Annual Risk)

  • Neurosurgeons: ~19.1% face a claim annually.
  • Thoracic-Cardiovascular Surgeons: ~18.9% face a claim annually.
  • General Surgeons: ~15.3% face a claim annually.
  • Orthopedic Surgeons: ~14+% face a claim annually.
  • Plastic Surgeons: ~15% face a claim annually.

When looking at career-long prevalence (the percentage of doctors sued at least once over their working years), fields like Plastic surgery and General surgery reach over 83%, closely followed by OB/GYNs and orthopedic surgeons.

Least Sued Specialties

  • Psychiatrists: ~2.6% sued annually.
  • Pediatricians: ~3.1% sued annually.
  • Family Practice Physicians: ~5.2% sued annually.

Why These Specialties Face More Lawsuits

  • High-Risk Procedures: Brain, heart, and general surgeries carry severe, inherent risks where complications can lead to permanent disability or death.
  • High-Expectation Elective Care: Plastic surgery deals heavily with patient aesthetics, where unmet expectations frequently trigger legal complaints.
  • Critical Decisions: Time-sensitive environments like emergency medicine and surgical fields leave a narrower margin for error.

What profession has the most lawsuits?

Doctors and medical professionals face the highest number of lawsuits, primarily driven by medical malpractice claims.

Most Sued Professions and Specialties

  • Physicians and Surgeons: Medical doctors experience the highest litigation rates. Approximately 60% to 90% of surgeons face at least one malpractice claim during their careers.
  • Obstetricians/Gynecologists (OB-GYNs): Roughly 62% to 79% of OB-GYNs face lawsuits over their careers due to high-risk, high-stakes deliveries and time-sensitive care.
  • General and Orthopedic Surgeons: These specialties face intense scrutiny and high claim frequencies, with general surgeons averaging nearly two claims per 100 physicians annually.
  • Neurosurgeons: Frequently targeted at a rate of nearly 20% each year due to the delicate and high-risk nature of brain surgery.

Other High-Litigation Fields

  • Construction (Engineers and Architects): Large-scale structural development projects frequently result in multi-party litigation over delays, defects, and structural failures.
  • Lawyers: Legal malpractice claims are common, particularly for practitioners handling real estate, collections, bankruptcy, and family law.
  • Real Estate Agents and Brokers: Subject to frequent professional liability claims regarding disclosures and transactions.
  • Corporate Executives and Directors: Often targeted by shareholder and employment-related lawsuits.

You can read more about claim frequencies through the American Medical Association or check reports on Healthcare Brew.

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Can you get sued as a CRNA?

Yes, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) can get sued for medical malpractice if a patient suffers injury or death due to a negligent act or omission during their care.

Liability and Lawsuits

  • Direct targets: CRNAs are independent licensed professionals and can be named directly as defendants in malpractice lawsuits alongside hospitals or practice groups.
  • Supervising physicians: Plaintiffs often also sue the supervising physician anesthesiologist or surgeon, depending on state laws and the specific care team structure.
  • Malpractice insurance: Because of these legal risks, individual CRNAs frequently purchase professional liability insurance to protect their personal and professional assets. You can learn more about professional coverage options through providers like NSO Malpractice Insurance for CRNAs. Official guidance and resources on managing these risks are also available via the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.

Can a CRNA make $500,000?

Yes, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNAs) can make $500,000 a year, but it is not common for a standard, single W2 staff job.

How CRNAs Reach $500,000+

Reaching the half-million-dollar mark usually requires a specific combination of high-paying contract work, strategic location, and heavy hours:

  • Locum Tenens / Contract Work: Traveling or independent locum CRNAs can command hourly rates between $230 and $275 (or more). Working full-time or picking up extra shifts at these rates can push annual gross income to $500,000 or higher.
  • Rural and Shortage Areas: Facilities in critical staffing shortage regions often pay massive hourly incentives, retention bonuses, or guaranteed overtime.
  • Extra Hours / Overtime: Many CRNAs hitting $500k are essentially working heavy hours equivalent to nearly two full-time jobs or taking extensive on-call shifts.

Typical CRNA Earnings

For most professionals, earnings look different from the extreme high end:

  • Median Salary: The national median salary for a CRNA generally ranges between $200,000 and $236,000 per year.
  • Standard Top 10%: High-earning staff or regional specialists typically top out around $314,000 to $400,000 under regular scheduling.

How common is it for a nurse to get sued?

Nurses are infrequently sued directly for individual medical malpractice, but they are frequently named alongside hospitals or called as witnesses in legal proceedings.

Frequency and Risk Factors

  • Direct Lawsuits: While direct individual lawsuits are relatively rare, large nursing malpractice data reports from organizations like NSO show that registered nurses (RNs) account for the vast majority (about 86%) of nursing-related claims compared to other titles.
  • High-Risk Settings: Specialties like home care, medical-surgical units, and labor and delivery see higher rates of claims due to heavy workloads or complex patient oversight.
  • Common Allegations: Most claims involve treatment and care issues (such as failing to monitor a declining patient), medication errors, and patient falls.

Opinions on online forums like AllNurses are mixed: some veteran nurses report never seeing a direct lawsuit in decades of work, while others note that legal scrutiny rises when charting or communication breaks down. Typically, plaintiffs sue the hospital or healthcare facility first, as deep-pocketed employers carry primary liability.

What medical specialty is least likely to be sued?

Allergy and immunology, hematology and oncology, and endocrinology are among the least sued medical specialties. Data from sources like the American Medical Association show that non-invasive, outpatient, and diagnostic or consultative fields face the lowest lifetime and annual frequencies of medical malpractice claims.

Least Sued Specialties

  • Allergy & Immunology: Features one of the lowest career-to-date claim rates, around 7.1%.
  • Hematology & Oncology: Involves complex care, but has an estimated career claim rate of roughly 8.0%.
  • Endocrinology & Diabetes: Has a career claim rate around 8.6% due to lower procedural exposure.
  • Psychiatry & Pathology: Both traditionally rank at the bottom for annual claim rates (around 2.6% per year for psychiatry) because they involve minimal procedural or surgical interventions.

Why These Fields Have Lower Risk

  • Outpatient Care: Most low-risk doctors run regular office or clinic visits rather than high-risk hospital inpatient or surgical care.
  • Fewer Procedures: Invasive procedures and surgeries dramatically increase the chance of sudden complications that spark lawsuits.
  • Clearer Boundaries: Consultative specialties rely less on split-second, high-acuity emergency decisions.

How likely is it to win a malpractice lawsuit?

Winning a medical malpractice lawsuit is Difficult because physicians and healthcare providers win about 70% to 80% of jury trials.

Trial and Settlement Odds

  • Trial Wins: When a case goes all the way to a jury verdict, plaintiffs (patients) only win about 20% to 30% of the time.
  • Strong Evidence: Even in cases with strong evidence of medical negligence, physicians still win roughly 50% of jury trials.
  • Settlements: Most cases do not reach a trial. About 80% to 90% of claims are either dropped, dismissed, or resolved through out-of-court settlements.
  • Payout Data: According to the National Practitioner Data Bank, average out-of-court payouts hover around $463,000, while jury awards often exceed $1 million.

Key Success Factors

  • Clear Harm: Cases involving permanent, catastrophic injury or death have a much higher chance of success.
  • Expert Testimony: Plaintiffs must hire qualified medical experts to prove that the provider broke the standard of care.
  • Causation: You must prove a direct link between the provider's mistake and the actual injury.