The traditional stereotype of a nurse no longer exists. Nurses have moved on from being simple caregivers who look after you in times of illness, take your temperature and make sure you swallowed your medicine to being professionals trained in a variety of specialties.
In the last three to four decades, an increased emphasis on specialization across all professions has meant that nurses have also evolved from their primary "caregiver" roles into multiple functional roles. These are clearly defined and provide numerous opportunities for growth and advancement in the healthcare field.
One of these new designations is that of a Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC), which brings together two distinct functions – healthcare and legal services – into one role. Specifically, an LNC is a trained nurse who is also qualified to provide advice on the legal aspects of healthcare if and when the need arises. Legal nurse consultant training begins with a diploma from an accredited university; you can pursue your education online if you'd like to break into this fascinating field.
The following information will show you how to become a Legal Nurse Consultant if this field interests you.
Scope of Work
According to the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC), the premier industry body for LNCs working in the US, the main function of Legal Nurse Consultant is to “evaluate, analyze and render informed opinions on the delivery of healthcare and its outcomes.”
LNCs work with all matters where there is a medical/legal angle in the following areas:
- Healthcare licensure and related investigations
- Medical malpractice
- Personal injury
- Product liability
- Risk management
- Toxic torts
- Workers’ compensation
Day-to-day activities include but are not limited to:
- Reviewing medical records and other documentation where legal complications or difficulties are discovered.
- Applying relevant standards, policies, rules and regulations to provide advice on medical-legal matters.
- Providing input on possible liabilities and damages.
- Interacting with legal professionals, healthcare personnel, insurance companies and subject-matter experts in resolving issues.
- Preparing reports, analyses and other required documentation for or against legal claims and suits.
- Attending court to provide testimony or appear as expert witness, work with attorneys on taking their own and other parties’ depositions.
- Advising healthcare and allied services professionals on the possible legal implications, liability and causation aspects of situations encountered in the course of healthcare practice.
Education, Training and Certification for a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant
The first step in this nurse career is to complete all formal education requirements to work as a Registered Nurse in RN jobs. Available options include a two-year associate's degree, a hospital-based three-year diploma or a four-year bachelor’s degree. Postgraduate degrees such as a master’s degree in nursing or a doctorate will help in getting good Legal Nurse Consultant jobs and career growth.
All nurses are required to be licensed by their respective state medical boards before beginning practice in their nursing jobs. Once licensed, it is recommended that you work toward gaining significant work experience within various nursing roles and specialties before taking on an LNC role.
There are several professional certification organizations that provide credentialing services for LNCs. All these certifications are of a purely voluntary nature; there are no mandatory requirements to be certified to work as an LNC. However, holding a certification demonstrates evidence that your skills, competence and knowledge of the job have been impartially assessed and judged satisfactory.
The American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board (ALNCCB) is an independent and autonomous entity that provides certification in legal nurse consulting and is accredited by the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS); the credential offered is Legal Nurse Consultant Certified (LNCC) and the eligibility requirements are as follows:
- Hold a current, valid and unrestricted license as an RN.
- Should have completed five years or more of full-time practice.
- Must be able to show evidence of 2,000 hours of LNC work in the past three years immediately preceding the application for certification.
Eligible candidates will be required to appear for a four-hour examination comprised of 200 multiple-choice questions, testing your knowledge and understanding of Legal Nurse Consultant. Successful candidates earn the right to add the LNCC credential after their names for a period of five years.
Renewal of certification is possible through taking the qualifying examination again or by compiling 60 contact hours of prescribed acceptable activities, such as continuing education, publications or presentations to a peer audience on relevant subjects, or academic course work in specified subjects.