Legal Nurse Consulting , have the training and 26 years of nursing . How do I start ?

[nurse_angelus]

I have been an RN for over 26 years in several areas and obtained the training as LNC using a home study program. It has been 16 months since I completed the program but the whole marketing thing stumps me ! Are sales calls and mailings enough? What else can I be doing? I want this so bad I can taste it.

nurse_angelus

[BCRNA]

You have to socialize with lawyers to promote your services. It will be word of mouth to sell your self. Also, there will not be consistent work. Lawyers don't care about certification as a consultant for nurses. They will want your professional opinion as a nurse. They will prefer you have clinical experience in whatever area they need. I have done consulting for 150 to 300 per hour, but there isn't a lot of work to depend on it as a sole career. It is a nice extra though. I have heard of RN's who get 75 to 150 per hour (depending on experience and education). I am a CRNA. I have physician friends who make 500 to 800 per hour, plus the lawyers will pay them for the time they spend on airplanes (on top of paying for their tickets). To beef up your resume you need to maintain clinical experience. It would help if you publish in areas related to your topic. They want someone who has lots of experience, is educated, and looks good in front of a jury. I have known lawyers not use some nurses because they looked to young or only worked at one place (even though it was for 20 years). LNC is a certification that was created primarily to make other nurses money, it is not needed, but may look favorable on your resume. The people I know that regularly consult are locum tenens nurses who are also educators--with advanced degrees (DNP or PhD with a few MSN). If you are truly serious about it, maintain your experience and publish papers in major journals (can be practice articles, not research). You need to show that you are an expert in your field. You need to "make friends" with the right people to get routine work. Good Luck.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Sound advice, BCRNA. Thank you.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

OP, along with what BCRNA stated above, read through the sticky thread (at bottom of this forum) about marketing and/or conference exhibiting techniques.

This career path is hard. The key to success is successful marketing. There are many "tips" in that sticky thread to which I refer. Repeat business along with referrals from previous clients will boost your chances.