Career Profile: Legal Nurse Consultant

See Available Legal Nurse Consultant Schools

Job Description:

Legal nurse consultant professionals bridge the gap between the judicial system and the medical field. Technically speaking, legal nurse consultant professionals interpret medical issues surrounding a legal case in order to help lawyers to understand the complexity surrounding the healthcare system.

Legal nurse consultant professionals normally take on the following duties and responsibilities:

• Thoroughly evaluate medical documents, hospital policies, patients records, other relevant evidences connected to an ongoing legal proceeding
• provide forensic and pharmacological knowledge to resolve difficult medical, criminal, or civil cases
• establish chronologies of medical events to give clarity to a particular case
• closely collaborate with legal experts to come up with effective case strategies
• conduct research and prepare medical reports to be submitted to legal experts as evidences
• explain medical jargons and perplexing health issues
• appear in court as an expert witness

Work Environment:

Legal nurse consultant professionals work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, insurance company, attorney's office, law enforcement agencies, and legal firms. Their daily duties and work schedule vary greatly depending on their practice setting. Some are strictly consulted for medical-related legal cases, while others spend more time in the courtroom. There are also legal nurse consultant professionals that become members of the litigation team.

Education and Training Requirements:

Aspiring legal nurse consultant professionals must earn a nursing degree so they can qualify for a legal training. Moreover, they also have to gain relevant clinical experiences for several years before they continue to there area of specialty.

It is highly recommended that aspiring legal nurse consultant professionals pursue advanced studies programs and acquire certification to boost their credibility. Obtaining a certification from the American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board (ALNCCB) will give aspirants a competitive edge.

To become eligible to take the ALNCCB certification exam, legal nurse consultant graduates must hold an active RN license, work for a minimum of five years as a registered nurse, and completed 2,000 hours of legal nurse consulting experiences within the last three years.

Salary Range:

Income rates of legal nurse consultant professionals are greatly influenced by numerous factors including:

• geographical location
• work experience
• case load
• practice setting
• educational background

Average annual earnings of most legal nurse consultant professionals hover around $58,032 - $75,000. Meanwhile, those who have obtained higher educational degrees and additional legal trainings receive annual earnings of up to 80,000 or more.

Job Outlook:

Work demand for legal nurse consultant professionals are expected to increase in the coming years due to the growing number of medical-related legal cases. In addition to that, more legal experts, businesses, and law firms will require the expert opinion of certified and experienced legal nurse consultant professionals.

So, start your legal training as early as NOW by browsing through our comprehensive list of legal nurse consultant schools!

Online
University of Phoenix Online	RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing, MS in Nursing, Master of Health Administration
	BS in Nursing, Continuing Education in Legal Nurse Consulting, Forensic Nursing, Life Care Planning, and Case Management
	Master of Science in Nursing

Arizona Schools
	Phoenix - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner
	Ft. Huachuca / Southern Arizona - BS in Nursing (RN Required), Licensed Practical Nurse to BSN, MS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Informatics Certificate, School Nurse Certificate
	Tucson / Southern Arizona - Licensed Practical Nurse to BSN, BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)

California Schools
	Anaheim - Vocational Nursing
	Costa Mesa - Vocational Nursing
Maric College	Vista / North County , San Diego - Certificate: Vocational Nursing, Certificate: Nurse Assistant Training Program
	Fresno / Central Valley - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
	Southern California - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner
	Sacramento - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner
	San Diego - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing/MBA/Health Care Management
	San Francisco - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
West Coast University	Los Angeles - Associate: Nursing

Colorado Schools
	Aurora - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
	Colorado Springs * - Licensed Practical Nurse to BSN, BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)

Connecticut Schools
	Hamden , New Britain - Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN)

Flordia Schools
	DeLand - Nursing Assistant
Keiser College	Kendall , Lakeland , Melbourne , Sarasota , Tallahassee , West Palm Beach - Nursing
	Orlando - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
	Jacksonville - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
	Fort Lauderdale - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
	Tampa - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
	Pensacola - Practical Nursing (Diploma)

Georgia Schools
	Atlanta - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required
	Columbus * - MS in Nursing (RN Required)

Hawaii Schools
	Honolulu - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)

Iowa Schools
	Cedar Falls , Cedar Rapids , Des Moines , Mason City - Practical Nursing
	Davenport - Nursing

Louisiana Schools
	Baton Rouge - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)

Michigan Schools
	Grand Rapids - Practical Nurse
	Detroit - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
	Grand Rapids - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
	Portage / West Michigan - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)

Missouri Schools
	St. Charles - Diploma in Practical Nursing, Associate in Nursing

Nebraska Schools
	Lincoln , Omaha - Practical Nursing

New Jersey Schools
	Wayne - Nurses Aid

New Mexico Schools
	Albuquerque - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)

Ohio Schools
	Cleveland - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)

Oklahoma Schools
	Oklahoma City - BS in Nursing (RN Required)
	Tulsa - BS in Nursing (RN Required)

Texas Schools
Texas Careers	San Antonio - Nurse's Aide, Vocational Nursing

Utah Schools
	Salt Lake City - BS in Nursing (RN Required), MS in Nursing (RN Required)
Utah Career College	West Jordan - Nursing

Virginia Schools
ECPI	Newport News , Northern Virginia , Manassas , Glen Allen , Roanoke - Practical Nursing
Medical Careers Institute	Virginia Beach , Richmond , Newport News - Practical Nursing, Registered Nursing