Week 2 assignment MHA622.docx - Respondeat Superior 1...

Respondeat Superior 1
Respondeat Superior Week 2 Assignment
Brittany Moyer
MHA622: Health Care Ethics & Law
Professor: Park Atatah
Feb 25 th , 2019

Respondeat Superior 2
Respondeat Superior
Respondeat superior is a common law doctrine that makes the employer responsible for
the actions of their employees when the actions take place within the scope of employment
(Miller, 2017). Respondeat Superior is a Latin word meaning let the master respond (Pozgar,
2016). This common law doctrine was established in England and then adopted by the U.S and
has been a fixture of law. There is a legal principle that holds the actions of the employer liable
for any negligence or omissions that the employee may have committed within the scope of
employment.
When it comes to a healthcare setting, although wrongdoings may have been committed
by the employee, the organization would still be held liable because of the employee negligent
actions. If the liability is charged to the employer or organization, a master-servant relationship
must be present between employee and employer and any wrongful act of the employee must
have happened within the scope of their employment (Pozgar, 2016). When a lawsuit is
commonly filed, both employee and employer must be named on the doctrine. The employer will
be the prime name as they will pay the funds to cover the legal cost. After this happens the
employer will and can seek reimbursement of their financial losses from the employee due to
negligence.