SO YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL NURSE CONSULTANT PROFESSION

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Alvin-Associates-logo.jpgYou find yourself interested in the Legal Nurse Consulting profession and research educational programs that offer a pathway to a Legal Nurse Consulting Career. Following are some of the phrases you might see as you click on sites that offer Legal Nurse Consulting programs:

Experience Total Financial Freedom!!
Earn up to $150/hr.*as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant using the experience you already have as an RN
I made $142,000 in my first year as a Legal Nurse Consultant working part-time.
I bill $10,000 a month and have attorneys in all 50 States
A Brighter Future is Now Within Reach

(I would add here that you should not believe everything that you read. I would suggest ignoring specific financial statements for amounts that have been made as a new Legal Nurse Consultant. I am sure that some are true, but I can tell you that they are not all true).
Everybody has a reason for changing careers or changing career paths within the same profession. It is important to define why you want to pursue a career as a Legal Nurse Consultant. If you are pulled in by the advertising claims of instant financial freedom once you walk out of a 3 or 6 day Legal Nurse Consulting course you will probably be sadly disappointed.
I did take one of these programs and could site the pros and cons of doing so. Did I spend too much money? Definitely!! Did I have a positive experience at this first program? Definitely!!! Did I get a great product for all of the money that I spent? Definitely not!!! The learning experience was very beneficial. I was extremely happy with the logo that they produced. The web site and CV that the company produced was, I found out once I started networking, below acceptable standards. Did I make the money I spent on this program with my first case as some programs advertise? Absolutely not!! Did I make the money I spent on this program within the first year? Yes. Do I know of people that took this program that never made any money? Yes, but I would have to admit that they did not pursue marketing as suggested.

 

Now let us talk about what one needs, at a minimum to be a Legal Nurse Consultant:

  • The person must have an active RN license.
  • 5 years’ experience, minimum, working as a registered nurse, preferably in a clinical setting.
  • Good character and strong ethics.
  • Strong organizational and analytical skills.
  • Strong written and communication skills.
  • Strong research skills.
  • Persistence.

What kinds of programs are available for pursuing a Legal Nurse Consultant career? What kind of program would benefit you the most? Do you need a structured environment that pushes you to complete a program or are you a self-starter and able to budget and organize your time to complete an individual study program at home? These are important questions to ask and questions I wish I had asked prior to pursuing a Legal Nurse Consultant career.

 

  • One can attend one of the highly advertised 3-6 days programs that cost anywhere from $3,000-$17,000. One of these programs guarantees that they will work with you until you get a case. Unfortunately one case does not make a Legal Nurse Consulting career.
  • Many universities now have Legal Nurse Consulting studies.
  • There are many on-line programs for Legal Nurse Consulting studies.
  • The AALNC (American Association of Legal Nurse Consultnats) has a Legal Nurse Consulting program that is broken into 8 modules and is a self-study program:
  1. Module 1 – Introduction to Legal Nurse Consulting
  2. Module 2 – Roles of the LNC in Practice
  3. Module 3 – Legal Fundamentals
  4. Module 4 – Expert Witness Roles of the LNC in Practice
  5. Module 5 – LNC Practice Skills for Medical Records – Access & Analysis
  6. Module 6 – LNC Practice Skills for Medical Records – Research & Report Writing
  7. Module 7 – LNC Practice Skills for Case Screenings
  8. Module 8 – Business Principles and Practices

Upon successful completion of these modules and corresponding post-tests, the student will be awarded with a certificate of completion.

I have gone into more depth regarding the AALNC program as the AALNC is the only place where you can eventually obtain certification as a Legal Nurse Consultant. The AALNC is very up front regarding what you gain after completion of the Legal Nurse Consulting on-line program, a certificate of completion. In a previous blog I wrote about the difference between a certificate and certification (April 23, 2013). Some of the other programs state that after completing their program you have attained certification and this is not exactly true. Upon completing their program you receive a certificate for completing and passing a test on the material. You are in no way automatically a Legal Nurse Consultant. You now simply have the tools with which to embark on your Legal Nurse Consulting career. It is up to you what you do with those tools.

4 Comments

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  1. Jennifer Smith

    Spot on Carol! I also took one of the courses, and I did learn a lot, but it took about a year for me to start getting cases. 2 years later, I have regular attorneys, but “don’t quit your day job!” The marketing is rough, to be honest. It’s a trial and error thing, but each person figures out what’s best for their area. I’d say it’s best to network with other LNC’s who are willing to share their success stories with you. I spent a LOT of money on a course, on marketing material I’m still revising, but the marketing never stops. I did learn a lot from the course I took; a good base. Now that I’m out in the real world, things are a little different!

  2. Susan R. Waynick, RN

    What, if any, are the legal ramifications for a nurse who ”copies” her nurses’ notes electronically day after day? They may add a few lines, but for the most part, they are word for word. As their co-worker, I have mentioned that I didn’t think this was a professional practice and that her documentation could be questioned.

    • Carol

      Thank you for commenting on my blog Susan. First of all, even though it is not good practice, copying nurses notes electronically day after day in itself has no legal ramifications. If in fact these notes are not accurate for a particular situation and lead to a negative outcome then possible legal ramifications might exist. But much goes into legal ramifications: duty, breach of duty, an injury resulted from this breach, and the breach caused the injuries. Documentation itself is a nursing Standard of Care issue. An approach with this nurse might be to emphasize how important accurate, purposeful documentation is in the care of the patients due to the healthcare team having many parts to it; thus documentation helps keep everyone informed of the patient’s condition at any one time. I hope this helps.

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