This page provides information to some of the more frequently asked
questions relating to Legal Nurse Consultants. You need Adobe Acrobat
Reader to download .pdf files. (found as a free download at
www.adobe.com).
Q & A
How do I get started in Legal Nurse Consulting? (AALNC
booklet)
http://www.aalnc.org/images/pdfs/GetStartWeb.pdf
What does an LNC do?
www.aalnc.org/hire/tips.cfm
How is an LNC
different than a Paralegal?
www.aalnc.org/hire/roll.cfm
What is the
certification recognized by AALNC?
http://www.aalnc.org/lncc/about/position.cfm
What is the
difference between Certification and a certificate?
Download .pdf file,
here
or link
http://www.aalnc.org/about/chapter_leaders.cfm
Discussion - LNC Background &
Experience
Background
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A strong and diverse clinical nursing
background is the most important foundation to Legal Nurse Consulting
since attorneys will be consulting you for your knowledge of the nursing
and medical issues. Legal nurse consultants generally work either in-house
(at law firms, hospitals, insurance companies, etc) or as independent
contractors. Of these independent (LNC) contractors, some choose to work
as expert witnesses in their field of clinical expertise, and others
choose to review medical records and give the attorney their opinion on
whether or not the case has sufficient merit to proceed (at which point
the attorney would hire the appropriate experts for their expert opinion).
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Education
There are many roads to take to get to legal nurse consulting - only ten
years ago there were limited educational resources and most LNCs learned
on the job. While that is still an option, you will be competing with
other Legal Nurse Consultants who may have degrees from a university-based
LNC or paralegal program, a certificate from one of the many private
individuals who offer education, or one of the other options for
self-study that are available. There are currently approximately a half
dozen university-based LNC programs in the Mass-RI area. These programs
may be based out of their paralegal programs and may incorporate a lot of
material that is not required for Legal Nurse Consulting practice (i.e.,
estates, wills, etc).
We would recommend you begin your Legal Nurse Consulting education with
AALNC and their products which are available at
www.aalnc.org. As the
professional association of LNCs, they are the authoritative and most
comprehensive source of resources, and may save you a lot of time and
money wasted in you trying to "reinvent the wheel". The text available
from AALNC, Principles & Practice is a tremendous resource for the money
and is used as the text in many LNC programs. In addition, make use of
your local chapter of AALNC; we are a good resource for you to access
experienced LNCs and network. |
Certification
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The only certification that is recognized by AALNC and the American
Board of Nursing Specialties is the LNCC (Legal Nurse Consultant
Certified). The LNCC is the equivalent of other nursing specialty
certifications you are likely familiar with, such as the CEN, CCRN, etc.
This certification is experience based and requires a minimum number of
practice hours as an LNC in order to qualify for the exam. As a result, it
is not an entry level certification. The LNCC is accredited by the
American Board of Nursing Specialties, and administered by C-Net, a
professional nursing testing company. Its content has been determined by a
practice analysis of LNCs, and is continuously evaluated and updated to
reflect current LNC practice and psychometric standards. |
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Attorneys are looking for nurses who have strong clinical backgrounds,
know the standards of care for their area of expertise or where to access
those standards, and have the conviction to render an opinion and stand by
it.
If you wish to contact this chapter,
please
email us.
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