Legal Nurse Consultant, Legal Nurse Consultant Schools, Training, Jobs, and Careers

What is Legal Nurse Consultant?
A legal nurse consultant is a cross between a health care expert and a legal aid. The main difference however is that their base knowledge is in health care rather than law. Legal nurse consultants work with lawyers and other legal experts in cases that would require their medico-legal expertise in pharmacology and general health care.

The court cases they would be involved in range from civil to criminal. Over the years, legal nurse consultants have been involved in some of the most high profile court cases.

All legal nurse consultants are licensed nurses who have a certain minimum level of hospital experience whether it is in the emergency room, operating theatre or in a specific branch of healthcare such as obstetrics. This is followed by study of the law at a legal nurse consultant training school. The job duties of a legal nurse consultant include:

1. Reviewing cases to determine which ones are worth litigation.
2. Acting as a go-between that connects legal experts and medical professionals.
3. Develop realistic theories and draw plausible conclusions for the medico-legal cases.
4. Analyze medical records.
5. Assist in the interpretation of doctors and nurses medical notes.
6. Identify any deviations from the practice in terms of the standard of medical care given.
7. Undertake research on a wide variety of medical literature.
8. Arrange for and conduct independent medical examinations.

Aside from providing assistance outside the courtroom to the defense or prosecution, the legal nurse consultant may also appear as an expert witness. While performing this role they would be required to apply their medical expertise and legal knowledge to testify at litigations, arbitrations or depositions.

How to become a legal nurse consultant:
All legal nurse consultants are themselves registered licensed nurses that hold nursing degrees in their field of expertise with at least five years of experience. To become a legal nurse consultant one must obtain legal nurse consultant certification. Training for this profession is offered both on-campus and on-line in some universities. Among the classes covered during legal nurse training are:

1. Forensic Science
2. Toxic Tort Evaluation
3. Legal Ethics
4. Personal Injury Cases
5. Legal Writing
6. Trial Preparation
7. Medical Triage Malpractice
8. Record Tampering
9. Automobile Related Injury
10. Product Liability

Some of the courses will focus on looking at a particular medical condition such as anesthesia and lower-back injuries and any laws around their management. Aside from the academic credentials, there are certain skills that one is required to have in order to effectively carry out their roles as a legal nurse consultant.

These skills include organization, critical thinking, multi-tasking, communication and writing. The National Alliance of Certified Legal Consultants offers voluntary certification to these consultants and can provide additional weight to the consultant when looking for work.

As a legal nurse consultant, some of the places that you can work include:

1. Law Firms
2. Insurance Companies
3. Pharmaceutical Firms
4. Hospitals and Clinics
5. Government Agencies
6. Chemical Companies

Legal Nurse Consultant Salary:
These consultants make excellent salary. The national average pay is $88,000 per year. Since some of them are independent, there is no limit to what they can make. This depends on how much workload they are willing to take.

Legal Nurse Consultant School:
To become a legal nurse consultant, you need certification. However, there are few schools that offer this certification.

We know of one school. The School is Kaplan University. They have campus and online programs and have the most extensive list of programs in the criminal justice field. All you need to do is follow this link to visit and get their free information.

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