While housestaff are no more likely to be sued when moonlighting than attendings, Boston malpractice attorney Lee Dunn, JD, said that they must make sure their malpractice insurance applies no matter where they are working. Because your residency program covers you for work only in your own institution, you need to protect yourself for services you perform outside your training program. Claims-made insurance protects you from malpractice claims only if the insurer that covered you at the time of the alleged incident is the same company you are using when the claim is actually filed. The only catch is that tail insurance can cost up to twice as much as standard malpractice insurance. Legal experts also say that to be on the safe side, you should thoroughly document your services when you moonlight outside of your training program.
Documentation can be a huge help if any questions are raised down the road.
Even with your legal back covered, experts say residents should consider moonlighting very carefully. Besides, he added, the answer to the enormous debt load is not moonlighting but finding a way to better finance medical education. Unfortunately, he said, that is not likely to happen soon. Christine Kuehn Kelly is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer specializing in health care. The hospital emergency room is traditionally the place where many residents moonlight.