The career of nursing is one of technical medical knowledge as well as compassionate people skills. The mix of the two skill sets give nurses a rare and highly valued combination of career qualifications. Beyond the scope of patient care in a clinic or location such as a hospital or long term care facility is another aspect of nursing that can be a lucrative and highly in demand career known as certified legal nurse consultant. These professionals are highly sought after by attorneys who need their expertise in the reading of medical records and interpretation of those records and how they may relate to the facts of a case under litigation.
What are the requirements to become a certified legal nurse consultant? Of course the education of a nurse and the complete licensure and accreditation of the bodies in your locale are needed, the same as for any nursing program. In addition to that nursing background there are many courses that deal with the law and the legal system that are needed to get the career change on track. If you wonder what type of degree programs are available, you can easily find them by checking online in a search. There are a large variety of programs that offer the coursework needed to make the transition from direct patient care to the court room and all of the research and preparation that will be required to testify as an expert witness when called to do so.
Some of the things that are done by certified legal nurse consultants are research and preparation of documents that can be used in a trial or proceeding to support the client’s position regarding medical claims or health issues. There are a variety of case types that can require the assistance of the nurse and those types of cases can include, worker’s compensation, medical malpractice, product liability, or personal injury claims.
Certified Legal Nurse consultant jobs are well paid and the compensation is taking in to account the hours that the professional has spent in training and preparing to present their evidence to the court. This is a career that offers a mix of medical and legal expertise, and it is a fascinating aspect of the nursing field.