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Legal Nurse Consultant Just One Specialty Nursing Career

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Medical Lawyers Require Nurse Consultants!

Apparently there are over one million attorneys in the U.S. today, and fully one-quarter of them are involved in one form of medical law or another. Medical lawyers know, however, that the specialized language of medicine requires someone well versed in that field and for this reason a legal nurse consultant is often employed. This type of nurse has gone through a nursing college and then branched off in specialization.

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.

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Duties Performed By Legal Nurse Consultants!

The American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants was established in 1989 and oversees this field. This organization establishes the criterion and fosters education and professional standing in its non profit role. Once your nursing school university studies are complete, it is a good place to start your research for a legal nursing career.

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? 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.

Get An Accredited Degree

Probably the biggest hurdle one encounters about the profession is becoming educated in the field. The simple truth is that while there are universities, both online and on campus, offering course studies in the field, there is no formal approach. What the Association suggests is first making sure the schools you wish to attend are accredited nursing schools. These types of nurses will need the standard education and licensing, including a bachelor of science.

According to the Association, a good litmus test is to see if the legal nurse consultant is separate from the paralegals/legal assistants course tracks. Their occupations are considered different because they are legal professions. A legal nurse consultant is medical. It builds on their nursing education and clinical experience. So what these courses really do is prep their students for the legal arena. If the school meets these standards, it is more than likely legitimate.

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Great Earning Power

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.

Working with attorneys is not the only possibility open for those who obtain a nursing degree from reputable and accredited colleges. Those who attend nursing degree programs open doors to careers that are varied, with the choice of working in something as specialized as a legal nurse, or in pediatrics, geriatrics, and every age in between.

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    jamesfoland21 Nov 6, 2011 @ 3:29 pm | delete
    Great information! I am hoping to become a legal nurse consultant one day, I am just about to apply to colleges in Chicago. If anyone else is looking for places to study nursing in Chicago make sure you check out http://nursingschoolsinillinoishelp.com. I have found it very helpful.

    Great lens, thank you!
  • Reply
    agent009 Oct 16, 2011 @ 6:34 pm | delete
    I wasn't aware nursing consultants was a position that one could get a job in.
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