Your nursing experience is one of the most important reasons attorneys hire Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. It’s the solid platform from which you’re able to educate attorneys about the complex medical and nursing issues. There are many key components of specialized knowledge that you not only understand, but also live every day.
You can provide attorney-clients crucial information about a case – pathophysiology, pharmacology, policies and procedures, standards (adherences to or deviations from), documentation nuances, electronic medical record interpretation, ancillary services and specialty services. This insider information becomes crucial to providing the most informed direction to the attorney litigating a medical-related case.
But what if you’re interested in becoming a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant and your experience is limited? CLNC® consultant, Suzanne Arragg advises, “Consider whether you’re currently working in a unique practice area. Perhaps you’ve mastered your craft in that area. If so, you can market to law firms who litigate cases in that clinical arena.”
CLNC consultant, Dorene Goldstein encourages you to not underestimate yourself, “Attorneys need our nursing experience no matter what it is or how long you’ve been practicing. We understand the ins and outs of the hospitals (what really happens) and know how to decipher medical records.”
Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, PHN, CLNC adds, “I had a lot of varied experiences in nursing, including oncology, home health home infusion and hospice, in both clinical and administrative roles. If you have more limited nursing experience, it’s important to appreciate that there’s certain things you know that are general, and you also know where to find the authoritative information that you don’t know. For example, most CLNC consultants in any specialty can analyze a personal injury case. You will know how to describe an injury, the treatment and the outcome for the plaintiff.”
Carol Fridal, MS, RN, CEN, CLNC shares, “Most attorneys are supportive and generally interested in what you know. As the RN you must have confidence in what you know and be willing to speak to that. All nurses begin building experience from the first day of their nursing careers. Every patient interaction, chart review and clinical decision contributes to professional growth. Even with limited nursing experience, you can still succeed as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, especially if you collaborate with the Institute’s mentors and your CLNC peers.”
Marcia Bell, RN, BSN, CAPA, CLNC advises, “Be confident in your nursing education and whatever experience you do have. No one understands the details of a medical record better than an RN. Reflect on the many times in your nursing career when you performed a procedure for the first time and succeeded. As Vickie says, ‘We Are Nurses and We Can Do Anything!’”
CLNC consultant, Michelle Neal suggests you can acquire more nursing experience while consulting with attorneys, “If you feel your experience in nursing is limited, continue practicing clinically while you navigate your CLNC career. Take the opportunity to grow in both fields.” Shequita Moore, MSN, RN, LNFA, CLNC agrees, “Additional nursing experience and perfecting your legal nurse consulting craft will come with time. Both are vital to the attorney.”
Nicole Schuster, BSN, RN, ACM, CLNC advises, “My recommendation for an RN who has limited nursing experience is to identify the nursing specialty you’re most passionate about and pursue experience and certification in that area.” Marcia Bell, RN, BSN, CAPA, CLNC affirms, “Getting certified enhances your professional credibility and demonstrates your knowledge of standards of care.”
Marcia also describes an important strategy for addressing limited experience in a specialty. She says, “I had more than 20 years’ nursing experience when I started my CLNC business, which gave me confidence in my professional foundation. I had experience in medical-surgical, ICU and extensive experience in PACU. Recovering many diverse patients with a wide range of medical conditions and surgical procedures provided me with a well-rounded knowledge base. Although I did not have other experience, such as obstetrical experience, I tap into the NACLNC® Association, which provides a network of CLNC peers with a variety of specialized nursing knowledge.” Nicole Schuster, BSN, RN, ACM, CLNC agrees, “Any nurse with limited experience can still excel, provided they recognize their limitations and utilize available resources. Subcontracting with experienced CLNC consultants is a huge asset in this situation.”
Only you can decide if you are confident in your nursing knowledge and experience. Just don’t underestimate what you’re capable of. The CLNC Certification Program will train you how to apply your basic nursing knowledge toward analyzing medical records, researching standards of care, writing reports and implementing 30 CLNC services you can provide to attorneys. The CLNC Certification Program also shows you how to subcontract with other Certified Legal Nurse Consultants who may be more knowledgeable about the issues in a specific case you’re requested to consult on.
Thanks to Suzanne Arragg, RN, BSN, CDONA/LTC, CLNC, Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, PHN, CLNC, Marcia Bell, RN, BSN, CAPA, CLNC, Carol Fridal, MS, RN, CEN, CLNC, Dorene Goldstein, RNC, BSN, CLNC, Shequita Moore, MSN, RN, LNFA, CLNC, Michelle Neal, RN, BSN, CLNC and Nicole Schuster, BSN, RN, ACM, CLNC for advising RNs who are interested in becoming a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, but have limited experience in nursing.
Success Is Yours,
P.S. Comment and share how you leveraged your nursing experience to gain attorney-clients when you became a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant.
