What Is a Legal Nurse
Consultant?
Hot New Career for Nurses Taking the US by
Storm
by: Vickie Milazzo RN,
MSN, JD
A legal nurse
consultant is a registered
nurse who uses existing expertise as a healthcare professional plus
specialized training to consult on medical-related cases at fees of
$100-$150/hour. Few attorneys know how to read medical records or
understand the terminology and subtleties of healthcare issues to
achieve the best results for their clients. A legal nurse consultant
bridges that gap in the attorney's knowledge. While the attorney is
the expert on legal issues, the legal nurse consultant is the expert
on nursing, the healthcare system and its inner
workings.
According to the Houston Chronicle, "Of the
approximately 900,000* attorneys in practice today, 25 percent deal
with medical malpractice and personal injury cases." These attorneys
rely on specially trained Certified Legal Nurse Consultants to help them win their cases.
* According
to the American Bar Association Market Research Department, in 2005
there are 1,104,766 attorneys in the U.S.
Who are Legal Nurse
Consultants?Legal nurse consultants live all over
the U.S., rural or urban. Legal nurse consultants have consulted on
cases as simple as a neck injury caused by an auto accident, as
high-profile as the Rodney King case and as groundbreaking as
Fen-Phen, Vioxx, silicone implants and toxic mold
litigation.
Additionally, legal nurse consultants provide
healthcare expertise for insurance companies, utilization review
firms, government agencies, private corporations and hospitals both
as staff members and consultants. The legal nurse
consulting profession allows
nurses many options for establishing a satisfying and profitable
part-time or full-time consulting career.
What services do Legal Nurse Consultants
provide?The legal nurse consultant services include assisting with discovery; conducting
research; reviewing medical records; identifying standards of care;
preparing reports and summaries on the extent of injury or illness;
and locating expert witnesses. Although most Certified Legal Nurse
Consultants work behind the scenes, they may also serve as expert
witnesses. The legal nurse consultant acts as a specialized member
of the litigation team whose professional contributions are often
critical to achieving a fair and just outcome for all
parties.
Types of Clients Who Need Legal Nurse
Consultants1. Attorneys (plaintiff and
defense)
2. Insurance companies
3. Healthcare facilities
4.
Other Certified Legal Nurse Consultants and medical-legal
consultants (plaintiff and defense)
5. Government agencies
6.
Private corporations (e.g., for developing corporate strategies for
quality assurance, risk identification and management, evaluation
and control of loss exposure)
Inc. Top 10 Entrepreneur Vickie L.
Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of Vickie Milazzo
Institute, the oldest and largest legal nurse
consultant certification company. Pioneered the legal nurse
consulting profession in
1982. She is the author of the self help
book for women, Inside
Every Woman.
About the Author
Inc. Top 10 Entrepreneur Vickie L.
Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD is the founder and president of Vickie Milazzo
Institute, the oldest and largest legal nurse
consultant certification company. She is the author of a self help
book for women, Inside
Every Woman.
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