Promised upcoming c/o, and advice from Legal Nurse Consultants requested.

I have been in the ER now for going on 11 months (so almost a year). This makes me ineligible for FMLA. My husband and I are in the final stretches/process of adopting twin 14 month old girls from Poland, after waiting 6 years to have a family.

My problem is that my manager a) told me she would protect my job while I am on my 6 week maternity leave and b) she understood how very distressing not having children can be. I told her this in my very first interview and she assured me it would not be a problem, but as you know, I wouldn't be writing about this if it was a problem.

I have never had disciplinary action taken against me until the time I am getting ready to bring my babies home. Then I had a 'meeting' with the head of HR, my department head, and some paper pusher from middle management. They basically said that because I used 1 week in october for leave then another 3 weeks in Krakow (as required by the Polish adoption law) that that is all the leave they are willing to give me. Now, I'd just walk, since this is Chicago and I can find a job anywhere. But there is also a $5K adoption assistance benefit that I want and I'm going to stick it out until I get it, even if I have to hate every minute of every shift I'm there. Pretty much a given, anyway. This hospital system is not optimal, and doesn't have the best reputation around.

My thought is to begin taking classes as a legal nurse consultant. I've always wanted to go to law school, and had planned to in 1990 before my mother died and my dad decided that paying for law school for me "wasn't worth it" although he did promise my mom that he'd get me thru any professional training I wanted...

If anyone has any insights into the Legal Nurse Consultant field I'd love to hear them. Ability to use your head, flexibility, pay, working conditions. PM if you like, or post, and I appreciate the input. I'm tired of the mediocre carer I've forced to give because the hospital has little in the way of supplies (the last weekend, ONE thermometer for the entire ED) as well as never having adequate equipment. I think I'm a good nurse; my patients seem to like me and enjoy attention to them, but this is driving me from bedside nursing.

Just another statistic! Any Legal Nurse consultants, please fire away!