Lawyer who is a nurse

[Ms Tusevljak]

what would we call a nurse who then goes to law school to back healthcare related fields up? i am almost finished with my bsn and i have been thinking of doing something with law as well?

[Ms Tusevljak]

oh i definantly see what you are saying. my entire 3 year rn bsn program ran 60 000 ! i would have been just as happy and educated going to the community college, but my mother pushed and pushed and would not support me unless i went to a university. ( grrr..) i love it, just wayyy too expensive and the thought of me tacking on another 100,000 in law school loans blows my mind. but my career is just starting and as all of you seasoned nurses know i will change my mind a million times! this is great feedback and i appreciate all of your guys information.:redbeathe

[adavisrn]

Try researching through The American Association of Nurse Attorneys - The American Association of Nurse Attorneys. You might find more information there.

Point of clarification, Legal Nurse Consultants do more than expert work, many LNC's work only behind the scenes assisting attorneys with the medical aspects of the case - which may be more practical of a direction for you. Obviously, most attorneys are not medically trained and you may not be able to "pick" one that is when you need one. We rely on experts in the field of medicine and nursing to provide the medical component of the case. It is a very viable option for those nurses with 5 or more years experience in clinical nursing wishing to work in the legal field.

Another point of clarification, CLNC is not an "accreditation" for legal nurse consulting as mentioned here. It's a weekend course that costs from $3K to over $5K and does not validate expertise in the field of nurse consulting. Only the LNCC, "Legal Nurse Consultant Certified" certification is endorsed by the board of nursing specialties. This requires over 2000 hours in the field of consulting and sitting for a board examination.

[layne228]

I've had several friends, good smart people, who became lawyers and left the field within a year because they became so disillusioned. Law school is a very very expensive "oops, I don't like this."

I am one of those "oops, I don't like this" lawyers who is looking to become a nurse. Luckily, I am debt free. If I were not, I would not have the luxury of looking for a new career as not many jobs pay as well as law. Be VERY sure you want to be a lawyer before taking the leap. Out of all of my law school friends, I know very few who are happy with their profession. Those that are work as prosecutors or district attorneys and make very little money when you consider how long they went to school.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

I am one of those "oops, I don't like this" lawyers who is looking to become a nurse. Luckily, I am debt free. If I were not, I would not have the luxury of looking for a new career as not many jobs pay as well as law. Be VERY sure you want to be a lawyer before taking the leap. Out of all of my law school friends, I know very few who are happy with their profession. Those that are work as prosecutors or district attorneys and make very little money when you consider how long they went to school.

Not to mention the public defenders ... they are probably worse off than the DAs. And yes, I am another one of those "oops, I don't like this" people

[katkonk, BSN, RN]

One of my classmates in nursing school went right on to law school, with the intent of specializing in representing nurses and other medical staff. The last time I bumped into her was when I was working in the ER. She was too. She said that she made more money working in the ER, and that there wasn't enough business with law practice to pay the bills.