I have been an RN for about 10 years, and am sick of the bedside, and hospital nursing. Looking for something else to pursue in the nursing field.
I have been looking into Legal Nurse COnsultanting for along time time now, and am very interested in it.
Would love any advice about it? Are there jobs available? Is it as hyped up as they say it is?
mcoleson
Hi-
I am new to this forum site, and surfed in by accident. I too have been researching this specialty, and it is something I have wanted to do for a long time... I have 30+ years in nursing in a variety of specialty areas, and feel that I would like to give this a try... the catch--> :frustrated: getting the money to take a class, and finding attys willing to hire us. I too, have heard that they don't want to pay top $$ for the clinical expertise. I have been posting on another site, and have heard no negs- but still, this is a lot of money. RIGHT!!!!????
Psych ARNP
Ks.
Yes, it sounds to easy. This is why I have also posted (rather lengthy...)The bottom line for me is that I am older, have over 10 years of experience working in most areas... and am tired of the expectations of the managers and supervisors of organizations...I worked very hard to get my BSN, kept my grade point average up, so that I could find a position where I could use my brain--and I still can't get out of the trench. Any advice or feed back is appreciated. :frustrated:
Almost forgot, in the information there is a application funded by one of the common companies.
It's true you have to "go for it" or reject it outright, but (after 32 years at the bedside) I was sick of being treated like a dummy! :frustrated: I was also tired of being told that my Christian convictions "might be offensive to patients". This is the main reason I left and became a CLNC (Certified Legal Nurse Consultant).
My advice is to be careful what course you select. These places that say you can get it all in 12 hours are crazy. My course was 42hrs over a 5 day period and took the certification exam on the final day. In all of the very short courses with which I am familiar, one is not afforded the opportunity for certification as a part of the deal. I'm still getting my feet on the ground. At least I'm working for myself and setting my own rules.
Hi! I'm glad I noticed your post, because I can relate to how you felt before turning the course of your career. HOWEVER, I'm confused about the whole CLNC thing. From what I understand, you can have your own business and/or do the same thing CLNC's do, without being 'certified'. What exactly do they teach you to do in those programs? And what is the difference between CLNC and a Nurse Paralegal? What companies are good and which ones should people avoid?
I need to get away from the bedside, too. I just don't know where to go from here. I'd love to hear more of what you have to say, and of your new business's success or demise...
I haven't heard or read of one CLNC success story, that wasn't part of some advertising scheme, so I'm very Leery.
Hi! Glad to answer questions.
A CLNC's focus is purely on the nursing and medical issues of the case. This leaves the attorney's staff free to focus on the legal aspects. Frequently, the nurse paralegal is required to try to "wear both hats" so to speak. That is extremely difficult. As a result, he/she is forced to put the nursing/medical aspects of the case on the back burner due to time constraints. As a result, applicable medical information that could sway the case can be missed. I don't know for sure, but, were I a nurse paralegal in this situation, I might feel somewhat frustrated in that my nursing knowledge is having to take a back seat sometimes. As CLNCs, we sometimes do work with attorneys who have a full time nurse paralegal on staff. In that situation, we are able to supplement and fill in possible gaps.
The CLNC is a certification/designation which has been around since 1994. The course and designation were first started by Vickie Milazzo, MSN, J.D. in
1994. Although one may "hang out a shingle" without the certification, I would not want to do so, unless I had a great background in law which most nurses do not.
Information gathering is your best friend right now. When I was considering taking the course, I actually called the Vickie Milazzo Institute and asked to speak to a practicing CLNC. To my surprise, my request was prompty granted. No one tried to "sell" me anything. In fact I was told that being a CLNC isn't for everybody and to be sure it was what I wanted before progressing. Such a phone call may prove beneficial to you as well. The phone number for the Vickie Milazzo Institute is 1-800-880-0944.
I'm also in a slump about my career. I've been a nurse nine years, and I'm looking to do something other than bedside nursing. For a long time, I've been wanting to pursue a career as a legal nurse. There's quite a few courses available, but how does one know which one to take, or which one will land you a job? How does one even get started down that career path?
Do you have any specific courses that you would recommend? Thanks.
jewel53 wrote:It's true you have to "go for it" or reject it outright, but (after 32 years at the bedside) I was sick of being treated like a dummy! :frustrated: I was also tired of being told that my Christian convictions "might be offensive to patients". This is the main reason I left and became a CLNC (Certified Legal Nurse Consultant).
My advice is to be careful what course you select. These places that say you can get it all in 12 hours are crazy. My course was 42hrs over a 5 day period and took the certification exam on the final day. In all of the very short courses with which I am familiar, one is not afforded the opportunity for certification as a part of the deal. I'm still getting my feet on the ground. At least I'm working for myself and setting my own rules.
Do you have any specific courses you would recommend? I've been researching but I think I'm more confused now than when I first started. Do you work independently or for a firm/corporation? I was also wondering if most legal nurse consultants can work independently and make enough money to do it full time or do most nurses do this as a side line business? Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated!!
Hi!
I haven't posted for awhile, because I've been really busy as a CLNC. To answer some of your questions-- A CLNC may work for a specific attorney as an employee in his/her office. The disadvantages are that you will most likely make similar wages to what you make in a hospital setting. You still have to "punch a time clock". Your life still is not your own. However, for someone who needs a change and benefits (ie: health insurance, contribution to retirement, paid time off etc) it is an option.
As far as attorneys being unwilling to pay "top dollar", I have a couple or responses. Initially, I located a testifying expert for a hesitant attorney for no fee so he could assess my work. I did ask for a letter of recommendation from him. This was really beneficial. Also, I had a small display at the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association seminar in May. At that time I issued discount cards for $200.00 off one case screening. Since that is only 2 hours of my work, it wasn't much of a loss. Attorneys need to be educated as to all the things CLNCs can do for them. We do more than organize charts, which any one can do. I have 30 services to offer. At the beginning, attorneys usually will want you to do just medical chronologies or narrative reports to "check out" your work. Follow up with each attorney is the key. Ask for critque and suggestions.
One must be willing to be enthusiastic and project that enthusiasm about the time and money you can save the attorney. TIME and MONEY savings are what they understand. Why should they hire an MD to screen a case for merit at a rate of $500+ dollars, when they know virtually nothing about NURSING issues? We know nursing and $100.00 is a whole lot cheaper.
In conclusion, no attorneys will come knocking on your door, begging for you.
They have to know what YOU CAN DO FOR THEM and that you EXIST to save them TIME AND MONEY. A lot of the marketing to develop clients involves EDUCATION of attorneys!
Hope this helps!
I have been a successful LNC for over 4 years now, so successful that I have subcontrators working for me. I am not a CLNC as I took another course that was better than the Vicky Millazo course, I thought and I have the same knowledge.
Many programs offer certification. Attorneys do not care if you are certified or not. They want you for your clinical expertise and clinical certifications. However, if you do attend a program that offers certification be sure you ask how long the certification lasts and how you would recertify. In most cases to recertify you must shell out more money to attend classes again - not through CEUs.
Also be aware that there is an nationally recognized organization - AALNC or American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants that is sanctioned by the ANA, which sanctions all the other professional organizations. AALNC also offers a certification similar to CCRN, CEN, etc. It is a more widely recognized certification. If you are interested check out their web site. I am sitting for the AALNC certification as I believe it provides me with better preparation and credentials.
One thing you must remember is that once you complete the training - do not give up your day job. It is a long and difficult road to success. I have friends who paid > $6000 for a course and have not worked a day as an LNC. To be an LNC you must have excellent marketing skills, as you must market yourself to attorneys for work. You also need a business plan, office space, and there are a ton of decisions to make regarding working independently or in a practice. You have to be extremely organized and very attentive to the smallest detail because there are laws you must abide by that you are not taught in school.
Yes this career can be very fullfilling and rewarding, but if you are not willing to put the time into doing it right then you will be wasting your money.