The Legal Nurse Consultant Is A Vital Part Of Medical Law!
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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 one of many nursing colleges 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.
This is a relatively new specialty in the medical field. Its professional organization, the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants, was only formed in 1989. This association is a not for profit organization that provides information and resources for those wishing to advance to the more specialized field of legal nurse consultant. If you need more information about top nursing schools, look on the internet.
Those who are curious about this field are prompted by its official association to think about this career path and ask themselves some questions. The language of medicine is complex and often the layperson simply does not have the background to understand it. One of the questions is if the nurse feels comfortable explaining complicated medical situations and conditions to someone who has no understanding. The potential legal nurse should also like learning new things all the time and have the skills to write reports explaining constantly changing situations. Deadline adherence is a must, as is understanding financial statements. Twenty questions are presented for consideration. Too many no answers indicate the person may not be suited to this specialty.
From the looks of things, one of the larger problems a nurse faces is getting a proper education in the specialty. While there are a number of organizations that offer courses and curriculum, both online and on campus, there apparently is no formalized approach for the legal aspect. Attending an accredited school to obtain your nursing degrees, such as a bachelor of science, is one way to make sure your hard work is recognized. This is offered as a standard by the Association.
The primary emphasis of the education should then be if the program offered is considered separate from the education of paralegals and legal assistants because of the differences in their practice in the legal arena. The primary focus of legal nurse consulting education should be to build on nursing education and clinical experience and to prepare nurses to function in the legal arena. If the school meets these standards, it is more than likely legitimate. There is an abundance of information about associate degree nursing on the web.
From there, legal nurses can enjoy a very healthy freelance lifestyle. Usually hired as consultants, the legal nurse can command $125 to $150 an hour for their services. If one's networking skills can match one's analytical skills, it's not difficult for a legal nurse to work 2-3 days a week and earn over $100,000 a year.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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