April 16, 2010
Become A Legal Nurse Consultant With A Nursing Degree!
According to anecdotal evidence, there are approximately 250,000 lawyers doing medical malpractice suits in the U.S. That doesn’t mean they don't consult with medical experts when it comes to understanding the complex language of medicine. Legal nurse consultants, trained originally as a nurse in one of the accredited nursing colleges, is often their specialist of choice.
A legal nurse was a Registered Nurse who has moved on to become a legal consultant. A legal nurse is not a member of the legal community, such as a paralegal. They are employed by both the legal and medical professions as consultants, especially in areas that involve both fields. The medical world hires them to provide advice about the possible legal consequences of one action versus another. Often they are sought out by insurance carriers as a counterpoint "counsel" to the legal representative for the other side. In court cases before a judge they are used to provide expertise as to testimony by one of the other side in a lawsuit, not allowing either side to hide behind medical jargon.
The interesting thing is it’s a very young industry. Its main professional organization, the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants, was only established in 1989. Assisting with definitions of professional stature, counseling, research, and educational needs, this not for profit association works closely with those in the field. If you are interested in getting more information about schools for nursing research the internet.
The first thing this organization asks anyone interested is to complete some questions. These questions include whether the nurse likes constantly learning new things and is willing to write reports on them. Can the nurse work well under deadline, understand financial statements and be good at analysis? Most importantly, can the nurse explain complex medical situations in a way that a person with no medical experience can understand it? The Association actually has a list of 20 of these questions and if the majority of the answers aren’t yes, then it’s time to consider another occupation.
At this time there are no formalized training programs for those wishing to enter this field. Nurses need to obtain the customary degrees and certifications, including a bachelor of science. Recommended strongly by the Association is that whatever school is attended for these degrees it is an accredited institution. For any additional information about nursing colleges check the internet.
The Association also provides a second good litmus test. Go see if the legal nurse consultant program is considered part of the paralegal/legal assistant course track. These occupations are considered not the same as legal professions. A legal nurse consultant is medical and centers and expands on nursing and clinical experience. What these courses do are prep students for the courts. If the facility meets these criteria, it is likely legitimate.
If one’s networking skills are as good as their medical and legal expertise, the legal nurse can command $125 to $150 an hour. Earning over $100,000 a year as experience and reputation grows is not unheard of and the legal nurse often does not work a full week.For an abundance of information about nursing college check out the web.
After all, there are on the average about 250,000 attorneys out there who more than likely need a legal nurse’s services. Nursing colleges are providing the basic education and degrees for those entering this field. Even if one does not wish to specialize in legal nursing, nursing degree programs provide the background to work in numerous fields meeting one's own professional requirements.
Filed under African American Scholarships by Cathy