Hi all! I'm looking for advice from anyone who was a nurse and went to law school or knows someone who did!
I've only been a nurse for 3 years and I already feel so drained and dread the thought of spending the rest of my life working bedside.. This past fall I applied for DNP school because it felt like the next "natural" step in my nursing career. As it's getting closer to interview time, I'm having serious doubts about my desire to be a NP and continue in direct healthcare work.
Ever since high school, I've always entertained the idea of being a lawyer but never really took it seriously because all of my loved ones pushed me to be a nurse since it is a stable career. I've been looking into health law and love the idea of working as a hospital attorney or for a research facility (still being involved with healthcare but not on the forefront). I know in the past years the law field was very over saturated with new attorneys but I've heard it's improving (especially in the health field!).
Any input on it being a smart move or if I would just be throwing away tens of thousands of dollars to end up still being a nurse since I can't land a job??
Also, I've started studying for the LSAT but haven't taken it yet. Do I just take it and see if I even have the scores to get in a good school??
You could also pursue being a Legal Nurse Consultant.
be wary of this. A good friend of mine did the classes and took the certification course, spent thousands on this. Has participated in one case, earned $300. This has been in 5 years. As she says, not a good return on investment. She has 25+ years experience as a nurse, so it's not like she's being passed up due to lack of nursing experience. May vary per area, so investigate for need before jumping into this
Seriously reconsider unless you have a decent shot at t-14, or top 50 with scholarship. The legal market isn't what it once was and graduates from second and third tier programs are likely to find themselves chasing ambulances, fighting parking tickets, or selling real estate. I have friends who have fall into both categories and it is incredibly difficult to climb to the top when you come from a bad school unless you have connections (and by connections I don't mean your neighbor or the dude whose lawn you cut in h.s.). The following calculator should give you an idea of where you stand once you have a baseline for the LSAT.
I just attended a Medicare class taught by an RN lawyer. The vendor that offers the classes is called hcPro. It seems they have several RN lawyers that teach. The instructor that I have works in the risk department of an acute hospital. It seems very interesting and if I was younger I might look into it too.
be wary of this. A good friend of mine did the classes and took the certification course, spent thousands on this. Has participated in one case, earned $300. This has been in 5 years. As she says, not a good return on investment. She has 25+ years experience as a nurse, so it's not like she's being passed up due to lack of nursing experience. May vary per area, so investigate for need before jumping into this
I always wondered if anyone is successful at this! I used to get the advertisements in the mail for the course but haven't received anything in quite awhile, now that I think about it. It seems like you'd have to network in the legal community to get jobs.
FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN
2,322 Posts
We had a professor at my alma mater who is a nurse and a lawyer. She's super smart. She's faculty for both the nursing school and the law school.
I think the crossover of these two fields is an area of need. Go for it!