Opinion ID: 1382318
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Issue Three: Improper Admission of Linda Scott's Testimony

Text: Third, the appellant avers that the circuit court erred in allowing the defendants' nursing witness, Linda Scott, to testify as an expert because her opinions were not testified to with reasonable medical probability as required by W.Va.Code § 55-7B-7 (1986). The appellant argues that the circuit court should have either stricken the testimony or instructed the jury that it should not be considered expert testimony. Concerning our standard of reviewing this alleged error, we have opined that [w]hether a witness is qualified to state an opinion is a matter which rests within the discretion of the trial court and its ruling on that point will not ordinarily be disturbed unless it clearly appears that its discretion has been abused. Syllabus Point 5, Overton v. Fields, 145 W.Va. 797, 117 S.E.2d 598 (1960). Linda Scott testified that it is not below the standard of care of a nurse to inject a patient with a needle that had fallen on the floor while capped, and that Solu-Medrol and Benadryl are not incompatible medications. She did not expressly testify to these opinions with reasonable medical probability which is a requirement of W.Va.Code § 55-7B-7. We do not believe, however, that W.Va.Code § 55-7B-7 governs Ms. Scott's testimony. First, this statute applies specifically to the manner in which plaintiffs in medical malpractice actions shall establish the applicable standard of care and defendants' failure to meet that standard. In the instant case, Ms. Scott was testifying on behalf of the defendants. Second, the statute also requires that the expert witness maintain a current license to practice medicine in one of the states of the United States. If we were to apply this statute in the strict way urged by the appellant, Ms. Scott's expert testimony would be excluded, as well as the testimony of Gaynell Mischley, the appellant's nursing expert, because Ms. Scott and Ms. Mischley are not licensed to practice medicine. The admissibility of Ms. Scott's expert testimony is governed instead by Rule 702 of the West Virginia Rules of Evidence which states: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise. This Court has held: Rule 702 of the West Virginia Rules of Evidence is the paramount authority for determining whether or not an expert is qualified to give an opinion. Therefore, to the extent that Gilman v. Choi, 185 W.Va. 177, 406 S.E.2d 200 (1990) indicates that the legislature may by statute determine when an expert is qualified to state an opinion, it is overruled. Syllabus Point 6, Mayhorn v. Logan Medical Foundation, 193 W.Va. 42, 454 S.E.2d 87 (1994). Rule 702 has three major requirements: (1) the witness must be an expert; (2) the expert must testify to scientific, technical or specialized knowledge; and (3) the expert testimony must assist the trier of fact. Gentry v. Mangum, 195 W.Va. 512, 524, 466 S.E.2d 171, 183 (1995). Applying this standard to the case at hand, we believe that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the expert testimony of Ms. Scott. The record reveals that Ms. Scott has a master's degree in nursing and a Ph.D. in medical anthropology. She is board certified in emergency nursing and is a full professor and associate dean of the undergraduate nursing program at Marshall University. Therefore, Ms. Scott qualifies as an expert in standard nursing practices. Ms. Scott testified to the standard of care and proper method in which to administer the type of intramuscular injection involved in this case which is certainly specialized knowledge. Finally, this testimony assisted the jury in determining whether Nurse Grim was negligent in the manner in which she injected the appellant. We therefore conclude that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the expert testimony of Ms. Scott.