Vicarious liability is a legal principle that holds an employer (in our case, a hospital or urgent care center) liable for the malpractice or negligence of its employees.
A hospital or employer may be found vicariously liable for a malpractice case in the following situations:
Injury or death occurred while the licensed medical professional was on duty
The healthcare facility benefited from the task performed by the medical professional at the time of injury or death
Injury or death was caused by a routine activity the medical professional was hired and expected to perform
Consider this situation: A surgeon is hired at a local hospital. Their only job is to perform surgeries. If they are negligent during a surgical procedure and cause an injury, the hospital can be found liable.