Career Profile: Legal Nurse Consultant

Nurse Anesthesiologist

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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!

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