Legal Nurse Consultant
Nursing is an enormously popular profession, as well as one with a high demand for workers. There are many schools that train students to become legal nurse consultants, and the demand for these professionals continues to grow. You can sign up for the RN-to-LNC pathway or use your nursing degree to work as a nurse in various fields including law enforcement agencies, hospitals, long term care facilities and more; you’ll always have a job offer waiting if you decide to pursue this type of career path!
This article explains what it means to be a legal nurse consultant in order to allow readers who have never heard of this type of working before an opportunity to learn more about it.
By reading this piece, it is hoped that readers will be able to learn more about the job of a legal nurse consultant. This article will explain the role and responsibilities of a legal nurse consultant, as well as provide some insight into the average salary for this type of professional.
What is a Nurse Consultant?
A nurse consultant is also known as a legal nurse consultant. A nurse consultant is someone who possess training in nursing and/or medical terminology, but who works in another field instead of applying their training directly to nursing or medicine. This data has been collected from various news sources.
Indeed, a nurse consultant is often a specialist who can perform many different jobs, including:
Nurse: NCs are also nurses, which means that they have advanced training in many areas of nursing. They possess excellent understanding of hospital systems and procedures when it comes to taking care patients. These professionals use their skills to ensure the successful completion of legal cases involving medical professionals and health institutions that are in contact with the former.
Case Expert: Legal nurse consultants are called upon to assist in the investigation of any case involving medical institutions. They are often used when an attorney is representing a victim from one of these facilities, or when a medical institution needs to prove another facility wrong for some reason.
Ethics Consultants: NCs can also be used as ethics consultants for medical practices and/or as administrators for HMOs.
Product Liability Consultants: These professionals have access to legal knowledge that allows them to determine whether or not a company has done its due diligence in protecting its product(s) from harm. A legal nurse consultant can also provide guidance to other medical professionals, as well as patients and/or victims, when it comes to the subject of liability.
Anatomical Charting Consultant: Anatomical charting consultants are also known as anatomical lab technicians. These professionals are called upon by hospitals whenever a nurse or staff member needs assistance with filling out charts for patients.
There are many fields that legal nurse consultants can choose from in order to apply their expertise. This is certainly true for any other type of professional who has received training in one field and has decided to work in another area instead of directly applying their knowledge and skills to their chosen specialty. NCs can work in many different fields, including:
Long-term care facilities
Hospitals
Home healthcare organizations
Law enforcement agencies/prosecution offices/defense agencies
Product liability cases against medical staff, facilities and patient products
Ethics consultation for medical staff and organizations.
Auxiliary health care officer (AHCO) for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC). AHCOs are used to help federal inmates with their health care needs under Title 18 of the United States Code. They serve at various BOP complexes in the country.
Some of these fields, particularly the ones working in law enforcement agencies, include some very specific requirements that must be met by a person who wants to become a legal nurse consultant. This can make it more difficult to enter one of these professions than others. However, it’s possible that NCs can provide insight into cases or situations in other fields if they don’t possess certification for any special requirements.
This article will now explore some common requirements for this type of career path and/or certifications.
How to Become a Nurse Consultant
Becoming a legal nurse consultant requires students to have an advanced degree in nursing as well as some sort of specialization in law. Often, courses in law and government are also offered, as well as classes that provide insight into health care and legal issues. Courses or programs that cover both nursing and law often include working with several former clients of expert nurses. All of these types of courses can help those who desire to become a legal nurse consultant learn more about the profession on the job than they could before starting their education, or reading articles on the subject.
Most professionals who want to become legal nurse consultants also need placement experience in their nursing field. This can include an internship, externship and/or working in a hospital or healthcare facilities. The more experience a nurse has in the working environment, the more valuable that person will be to an attorney during a case involving medical care.
In order to become a legal nurse consultant, it is necessary for students to have a bachelor’s degree as well as post-graduate training. After receiving training as an RN, NCs can attend school and learn how to become legal nurse consultants.
In order to be able to practice as a nurse consultant, it is also necessary to become certified in the field. There are several different certifications that can be achieved, including:
Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC)
Certified Legal Nurse Consultant-Advanced (CLNC-A): This certification is slightly higher than the CLNC. It can be achieved after achieving certification in the CLNC. Those who have earned their CLNCs must take either an additional 35 hours or a course before they can earn their CLNC-A designation.
Certified Legal Nurse Expertise: A person who has been awarded a CLNE designation is considered an expert in legal nurse consulting. This certification can be achieved after achieving the CLNC or CLNC-A designation. After this, a person is then considered an expert in the field and must complete 30 hours of continuing education within two years to keep on practicing.
Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Facilitator (CLNC-F): The Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Facilitator designation is for someone who works in a healthcare facility as a clinical legal nurse consultant. A person who has earned their CLNC designation must take three courses totaling 36 hours to become certified in this field.
National Consortium of Clinical Legal Nurse Consulting (NCCLNC): This professional organization has its own certification for legal nurse consultants that it offers anytime throughout the year.
Conclusion
Becoming a legal nurse consultant can provide the opportunity to be involved in many different cases and situations. NCs can gain additional knowledge about law and government as well as helping patients who have been affected by medical negligence.
Legal nurse consultants can become involved in a variety of cases that don’t relate to healthcare or hospitals, including product liability issues, ethics proceedings, malpractice claims and parole/probation.
Becoming an NC requires at least an RN certification as well as some type of law degree.
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Legal Nurse Consultant