Do you know of any nurses going back for law degree?

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I'm interested in having a law degree with nursing background. Do you know anyone who went this route? Give me your thoughts and comments, please!

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

right now i am a lvn ..however i am attending 2 colleges at the same time one to complete my rn degree and i am pre-law student. after this semester i will be a senior at twu (graduating fall 08) and will hopefully be a rn by mid- spring (08). after that i will be looking and inquiring about law school. i don't know if i am smart enough to accomplish all this but i'm trying...

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right now i am a lvn ..however i am attending 2 colleges at the same time one to complete my rn degree and i am pre-law student. after this semester i will be a senior at twu (graduating fall 08) and will hopefully be a rn by mid- spring (08). after that i will be looking and inquiring about law school. i don't know if i am smart enough to accomplish all this but i'm trying...

when do you sleep? :balloons: kudos!

(i like school too!):lol2:

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I'm in the application process.

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right now i am a lvn ..however i am attending 2 colleges at the same time one to complete my rn degree and i am pre-law student. after this semester i will be a senior at twu (graduating fall 08) and will hopefully be a rn by mid- spring (08). after that i will be looking and inquiring about law school. i don't know if i am smart enough to accomplish all this but i'm trying...

wow kudos as well

one question you mentioned that you attend two different school. how does that go as far as financial aid? i am wondering if financial pays for that?

thanks

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I did it. I have been out and practicing law for 4 years now. A nursing background can be an asset in my areas of the law. I do regulatory health law - Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement; developing compliance programs - as well as litigation defending providers on matters relating to payment. There are many useful ways to use your nursing degree and background in the law - I really enjoy it.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Nice to hear from you Nurselawyer.

I have a coworker who started Law School this fall.

Good luck.

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

i only receive fa at one school then i took the extra i had and helped pay some of the other cost. don't know if thats legal but thats what i did..

wow kudos as well

one question you mentioned that you attend two different school. how does that go as far as financial aid? i am wondering if financial pays for that?

thanks

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I have a friend who was first a lawyer, and later went to nursing school. She runs her own CNA agency now, and never misses a chance to tell me that nursing school was harder then law school.

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I am applying to start law school this coming Fall. I am just finishing up my MSN/MBA. I am hoping to do something in health care policy.

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Could you point me to the right direction? I'm at lost when it comes to law schools. I assume I have to find a law school that has concentration in health care? There is a local law school near where I live, but I don't think that it has the concentration in health care. TIA!

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I am a nurse with in my final year of law school. I have found that law firms like nurses for a few reasons. First, the obvious usefulness of the clinical background when handling certain types of cases (came in handy when I worked for a law firm this past summer and we were defending a doc's license before the DPH). Secondly, more than one attorney has mentioned to me that the ability that nurses have to multi-task, our work ethic (yes, you will work weekends and 12+ hour days, but you do get to eat), and our ability to think critically are all attractive qualities in a new associate.

Having said that, it is important to remember that as nurses we have been spoiled by the job market and the nursing shortage. There is no such shortage in the legal profession, and if you are not used to "competing" for a job, this can be a rude awakening.

I have found that many of the larger firms (the ones that actually pay the high lawyer salaries that you read about) are looking for the "student in the box," meaning the top 20% of your class, law review or journal experience, etc. Most of us who are working our way through school don't have the time for that (law review is a huge commitment), and many of the larger firms are slow to realize the changing demographic of the law school population.

Now smaller and mid-sized firms are where you can really shine as a nurse-attorney. And your experience can be a bargaining chip in terms of salary, benefits, etc (there is no bargaining with large firms). At least this is what Career Services keeps telling me.

All in all, this career change is the smartest thing I have ever done. I will miss nursing, but am looking forward to my new career.

Some final thoughts:

1. As a nurse you advocate for your patient. As a lawyer you advocate for your client. This may explain why so many nurses pursue second careers in law.

2. Working per diem is a great way to make sure that you have enough flexibility in your schedule to accomodate exams, paper due dates, and part time legal work (it is important to gain some kind of legal experience while in law school).

3. You may want to contact The American Association of Nurse Attorneys. Joining your local chapter is a great way to network with other nurse attorneys, and may even get you some scholarship money ( I received a small stipend to help with books).

4. Nursing school IS harder than law school, BUT the grading curve used by most law schools makes it harder to get the same grades. Not only that, the competition is stiffer. I have at least 5 engineers in my law school class as well as a woman with a master's in music from Julliard and a Navy fighter pilot. The woman who is currently ranked #1 in our class is an aeronautical engineer with a master's in astrophysics (literally a "rocket scientist").

5. Finally, be prepared for a variety of reactions from co-workers. Most of mine have been very supportive. A few have asked for legal advice. And one just assumed I was going to become an ambulance chaser and got nasty with me. A few of the docs who think themselves "intellectually superior" to nurses (you know the type) suddenly started treating me with more respect when they found out I was in law school (which really p***ed me off!).

Sorry this post is long and rambling. It has been a long day and I have to work tomorrow. Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have.

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