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.