Experience in a law firm or legal department is an asset. Support the legal team by requesting, analyzing and summarizing medical records Maintain a medical journal. There are two types of official recognition for a legal nurse consultant to consider: nursing licensure and specialty certification. As mentioned above, legal nurse consultants typically become registered nurses before receiving legal training or pursuing CNL professional certification. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the 2,982,200 registered nurses employed across the country had an average annual wage of $77,460, or $37.24 per hour. In more detailed terms, these medical professionals had the following salary percentiles: As a post-bachelor`s degree program, Wilmington University`s Legal Nurse Consultant certificate requires nurses to complete a BSN first. However, the program allows online study and nurses can use all credits completed in the program to earn a university degree. Because the program uses actual college courses and credits, the cost is higher than other programs. Anyone interested in becoming a legal nurse consultant and eventually earning an MSN could get a head start thanks to Wilmington.
Legal Nurse Consultants has a niche career and, as a result, traditional data sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) do not provide analysis of projected employment growth in this area. That said, CNL generally becomes registered nurses prior to legal training. In addition, they must be registered nurses to be eligible for voluntary professional certification from the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC), discussed below. If you enjoy solving medical problems, researching and analyzing information, and collaborating with others, a nurse`s advice may be for you. Read on to learn more about the salary, job description and educational requirements required to become a CNL. Becoming a legal nurse consultant requires a lot of training and professional experience. It also requires extensive knowledge of medical procedures, processes, and routines, as well as unique communication and observation skills and attention to detail. As with most nursing professions, training to become a legal nurse consultant begins with the registered nurse examination.
Nurse legal consultants can interview other medical professionals, talk to witnesses, and compile the most relevant medical records to prepare for prosecutions. The AALNC adds a detailed breakdown of professional responsibilities in this interdisciplinary career. Overall, nurse legal advisors are health professionals who work as part of a legal team, often acting as medical experts and assisting lawyers and other professionals. They interpret patient diagrams and diagnoses; Analysis of relevant medical information; Preparation of chronological case histories and medical discussions for legal documents; assist in assessing damage; assessing an applicant`s medical needs and costs; interview clients and help identify experts; provide consulting services; and even testify in court. CNL works in a variety of strategic roles, dealing with litigation issues such as workers` compensation, risk management, civil liberties, personal injury, medico-legal and criminal matters, medical malpractice and workplace discrimination, to name a few. Designed for anyone licensed as an active registered nurse, Duke University`s Legal Nursing Consulting Program prepares nurses to apply their skills in the legal field. This comprehensive online program consists of six modules completed over one month. Nurses complete the modules synchronously, that is, simultaneously, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m.
to 4 p.m. While courses cannot be transferred to a graduate program or credit toward continuing education, it is difficult to find a better institution for health education than Duke. The Washington Online Learning Institute, a fully online educational institution, offers two pathways to the legal nurse consultant: a four-month legal nurse consultant option or a seven-month senior legal nurse consultant option. Most registered nurses choose the four-month pathway because this certificate prepares nurses to become legal nurses in all 50 states. Although WOLI is the least recognizable institution on this list, the incredibly low cost of this program makes it a great option for many registered nurses. Of course, not all legal consultants will maintain the same type of routine tasks throughout their careers. Nurse Counsel perform certain tasks on a relatively regular basis, including: Upon completion of an accredited nursing program, successful completion of the NCLEX-RN is required for licensure. A legal nurse consultant is a nurse who works as an expert in cases involving medical issues.
This can be in court or with insurance companies, health care providers and other authorities. Nurse legal consultants are valuable because they bring clinical experience, medical training and academic training to the legal arena and assist lawyers in litigation. What exactly does a nurse legal consultant do on a day-to-day basis? And beyond that, does it vary by industry or workplace? Although the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report specific job prospects for legal nurse consultants, they note that total employment for other comparable nursing professions is expected to grow by 45 percent by 2029, which is faster than the average for all occupations (4 percent). The first step to becoming a legal nurse consultant is to earn a nursing degree. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing combines the fundamentals of nursing theory with practical clinical practice to develop an in-depth knowledge of a variety of different medical procedures. As its title suggests, legal nurses act as advisors in reviewing new cases. They locate and interview medical experts and serve as a link between law firms, medical experts and others. They formulate forensic theories, identify deviations from nursing standards, search the medical literature, and coordinate independent medical examinations. By passing a national exam, CNL demonstrates its commitment to achieving and maintaining the highest standards of practice in the field. A number of organizations offer nursing counselling courses and certificates, however, AALNC certification is the only certification comparable to clinical specialties.
The designation of a CNL certified by the AALNC is LNCC. California State University`s Long Beach Legal Nurse Advisor Training Course is entirely online, preventing nurses from moving to Southern California for seven weeks.