The road once travelled led to Legal Nursing

I'm seriously considering legal nurse consulting. I have been in nursing since 1993 and most all of my experience is in LTC. My current position is a director if nursing. I would like supplemental income but am concerned about the cost of getting started and then wonder would I ever get work.

First and foremost, do not fall for that "Earn $125/hr in your spare time!" ad. Establishing a practice is a long process; most folks find it's 5 years until they quit their day job. That weeds out a lot of folks, too. You do NOT need to pay an arm and a leg to learn this kind of work; check the threads here on the Vickie Milazzo Institute if you want to get perspective. Something like 5% of her "graduates" ever earn back the cost of her programs.

Look into the American Assoc of Legal Nurse Consultants for their educational offerings, meetings, and information on the only ABNS-approved legal nurse consulting credential, LNCC. There are lots of other "certificates" but this one's the best.

I see a fair number of SNF/LTC cases, often related to standards of care being breached. If you have expertise in this, you could already be a useful resource to an attorney that does a lot of these. AALNC can tell you more about setting yourself up as an expert witness, a very useful way to capitalize on your nursing expertise in the legal field. You'd review charts, assist the atty in deciding about whether this was a breach or not, help the atty figure out questions to ask involved parties, eval their responses, and perhaps testify at trial if it ever gets that far (the vast, vast majority never do).

I am currently working in the Quality Improvement field, and right as I took this job, I took a weekend course entitled "Become a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant." The course was GREAT and at the end I was certified. They offered an additional internship, which I am taking advantage of, which walks you through the steps of setting up your business, advertising, and so on.

Originally, I took the course thinking it would help me at my new job (I was fairly clueless as to what the actual day-to-day work would be in quality). I did quite a bit of auditing charts and participating on improvement committees at my former job as an assistant nurse manager/interim manager, which is what led me to seek out quality improvement. I loved reading charts, and I love helping other people do their jobs optimally.

As it turns out, I am quite excited about LNC as a career. As I work through this internship I am more and more excited about finding my first case and seeing what it's REALLY all about. And the extra money will be a nice benefit too

To answer your question more completely, I have been in the nursing field as and RN with a BSN for 9 years. I worked in a neonatal ICU for a year, then in a Level 1 adult trauma center for 2 years, then in an interventional radiology department for 4 years (mostly as assistant manager). Each job/position I left for a variety of reasons; ability to work days vs. nights, physical demands, administrative stress/being overworked and undersupported, etc. However, through it all, I do have to say nursing is a blessed profession. We get paid pretty darn great. I don't know ANYONE else who has the flexibility to change jobs the way we do. Or the opportunities we do to learn so much about so many different aspects of medical care, humanity, administration, quality, and now for me, the legal profession!

You may want to look up the definitions of "certified." I know of no weekend course that is approved by the American Board of Nurse Specialties; the LNCC is, offered by the Amer Assoc of Legal Nurse Consultants.

That said, many attys will tell you they don't give a damn about certifications if the nurse can do the job. But you know me-- better education makes for better performance is what I believe, and this is very, very true in legal nurse consulting. Knowing more about the work makes it possible to do a better job. Check out the AALNC and see what they have to offer.

Hi there,
I'm currently looking for a business coach and mentor for starting my business as a legal nurse consultant. I recently lost my hearing in my right ear secondary to mastoiditis. With seven kids at home and the loss of my nanny, I am in a very rough spot. I also lost my mom several months ago from "CVA." While taking blood thinners she was actively bleeding and passed away. Since mom passed last September, I have had a hard time at being a nurse. I found my patients love me, but I also experienced a form of bullying I do not quite understand with nurses. I noticed it while in the nursing program, and just haven't found a true partnership to share my goals and achievements. I am frightened from the fiscal cliff, but not afraid to commit to my decision not to return to medical-surgical specialty rehabilitation at the bedside. I am going for my legal nurse consultant certification, RN to BSN online and working through my business to furnish my PharmD. The long-term dream is to become a pharmacologist to do pharmaceutical research in chemotherapeutics.
I really appreciate your encouragement! I have worked extremely hard to obtain education and skills, and experience in the not-so-friendly-so-far world of nursing.
Thank you for your post.
Kind Regards,
-R.Nixon, RN
(Nurse becca)

Check out the AALNC for the online list, good coursework for the LNCC exam, and opportunities for internships.

You can PM me if you like; there are other LNCs here who can help too.

Hello there! I am just getting started in the field of LNC, and have taken the AALNC education last fall. I am wondering if you are currently working in the field, and if you have any tips on what to say to book a face-to-face meeting with the attorneys? Thanks!