is legal nurse consulting worth pursuing?

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Hi, I'm a 29 year old nurse with 6 years of diversified experience. I am currently working 36 hrs/wk on a very demanding, fast paced unit with a high acuity. I feel overworked, underappreciated, physically and emotionally drained as well as exhausted! I have been looking into legal nurse consulting for a couple of years. It seems to be a very interesting avenue to pursue, however, I don't know anyone who has taken this course; not to mention the course I have my eyes on is very pricey and I do not hold any advanced degrees. I hope that there is someone out there that can provide me with a little insight. :wink2: thanks!

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Specializes in cardiac, ortho, med surg, oncology.

From what I have heard from an attorney friend in Ohio, it's not due to tort reform limiting personal injury awards. However I don't know about anywhere else but would like to know as well.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
Hi, I'm a 29 year old nurse with 6 years of diversified experience. I am currently working 36 hrs/wk on a very demanding, fast paced unit with a high acuity. I feel overworked, underappreciated, physically and emotionally drained as well as exhausted! I have been looking into legal nurse consulting for a couple of years. It seems to be a very interesting avenue to pursue, however, I don't know anyone who has taken this course; not to mention the course I have my eyes on is very pricey and I do not hold any advanced degrees. I hope that there is someone out there that can provide me with a little insight. :wink2: thanks!

Hello, vascularnurse124 and welcome to allnurses.com

I moved your thread to the Legal Nursing forum for a better response.

Since you are in the research phase of LNC education, check out the online AALNC program: http://www.aalnc.org//onlinelearning/index.cfm

This is an excellent basic online program.

You do not need "advanced degrees" in order to work as an LNC. All you need (right now) is current/unrestricted RN license.

One thing I advise the RN is to consider the pros and cons of this career. Determine what drives you towards Legal Nursing. Many enter into this profession thinking it's a get-rich-quick career. It's not. Many enter into it after becoming disillusioned with their current jobs. The hardest part of this career is marketing and because of that, many fall by the wayside. You must have a love for paper work, applying SOC, delving through mounds of medical records, research, etc. It's one the hardest jobs I've ever done.

If you have specific questions about this career path, please post here. We are here to assist you. Good luck with your future plans as LNC. And, we hope you enjoy allnurses.com.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
From what I have heard from an attorney friend in Ohio, it's not due to tort reform limiting personal injury awards. However I don't know about anywhere else but would like to know as well.

I'm sorry, HonestRN, but I'm not following your comment...???

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Hello, vascularnurse124 and welcome to allnurses.com

I moved your thread to the Legal Nursing forum for a better response.

Since you are in the research phase of LNC education, check out the online AALNC program: http://www.aalnc.org//onlinelearning/index.cfm

This is an excellent basic online program.

You do not need "advanced degrees" in order to work as an LNC. All you need (right now) is current/unrestricted RN license.

One thing I advise the RN is to consider the pros and cons of this career. Determine what drives you towards Legal Nursing. Many enter into this profession thinking it's a get-rich-quick career. It's not. Many enter into it after becoming disillusioned with their current jobs. The hardest part of this career is marketing and because of that, many fall by the wayside. You must have a love for paper work, applying SOC, delving through mounds of medical records, research, etc. It's one the hardest jobs I've ever done.

If you have specific questions about this career path, please post here. We are here to assist you. Good luck with your future plans as LNC. And, we hope you enjoy allnurses.com.

Thank you for responding to my post. I'm not afraid of paperwork and I think that I would really love the research part- almost like being a detective! Although, i am fearful of marketing myself. That sounds a little scary. I'm sure that I will gain some really useful info on this forum. Thanks again! vascularnurse124

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Yes, stay here and we will guide you along in the marketing aspects!!!!

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Specializes in Emergency Room/Telemetry/Crtical Care.

You really have to market yourself in this job as an LNC, as sirI said the AALNC course is excellent. I would recomend if you have a chance to find out, look and see if you have a local AALNC chapter near you. Go to a meeting and sit down and talk with other LNC's, you dont have to take the course, just come as a visitor. It will help you sort out your concerns, and help point you in the right direction.

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Specializes in cardiac, ortho, med surg, oncology.
I'm sorry, HonestRN, but I'm not following your comment...???

As I reread it I can understand why. Let me clarify....legal nurse consulting is not worth pursuing, in Ohio anyway, due to tort reform. In other words not so many personal injury cases needing the services of a legal nurse consultant because most cases are settled rather than go to trial because settlement awards are capped at $200,000.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
As I reread it I can understand why. Let me clarify....legal nurse consulting is not worth pursuing, in Ohio anyway, due to tort reform. In other words not so many personal injury cases needing the services of a legal nurse consultant because most cases are settled rather than go to trial because settlement awards are capped at $200,000.

Thanks for the clarification.

Still, the LNC can be instrumental in assisting the attorney in these cases even if they do settle out of court. The majority of the cases on which I consult fall into this category.

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Specializes in cardiac, ortho, med surg, oncology.

Still, the LNC can be instrumental in assisting the attorney in these cases even if they do settle out of court. The majority of the cases on which I consult fall into this category.

An Ohio attorney had told me that when I asked him about LNC.

What part of the country are you located? Do you think it worth pursuing legal nurse consulting because I have been interested in that. I will check out the link in an earlier post.

thanks

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.
An Ohio attorney had told me that when I asked him about LNC.

What part of the country are you located? Do you think it worth pursuing legal nurse consulting because I have been interested in that. I will check out the link in an earlier post.

thanks

I'm in the South.

If you are truly interested in the career, then start researching educative entities (check out the sticky threads found at the top of this forum and read through other threads, too).

You are not obligated to market in your state only. You can branch out to other states. And, the attorney who told you this is in one area only. Ohio is a big state filled with many many attorneys.

Good luck.

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