Registered nurses can expand their resume by becoming a legal nurse consultant.
Legal nurse consultants (LNC) are an important part of the legal field. LNCs use their medical knowledge, skills and experience to review legal concerns about health care and then form an opinion about those issues, which may be used in litigation. Nurses were working as legal consultants before any formal studies were developed or offered in legal nurse consulting. Though a formal legal education is not required for the job, many LNCs will complete a legal nurse consulting program and may pursue certification.
Prerequisites
There are no educational prerequisites to begin working as a legal nurse consultant, but the consultant must be a nurse, which does require a formal education. Nursing programs are available for two and four years for a student to become a registered nurse. The American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) recommends that nurses spend at least five years working in the medical field before pursing work as a legal consultant.
Schools
While some nurses are hired as legal consultants based on nursing experience alone, many others choose to pursue a formal education in legal nurse consulting. These programs are taught in nursing schools, community and junior colleges, universities, law schools and schools offering other legal career studies. Some practicing legal nurse consultants have developed educational programs, and the AALNC offers an online course that can be completed, on average, in about 70 hours. Graduates of legal nurse consultant programs will usually get a certificate or degree depending on the length of the course.
Curriculum
Curriculum will vary between legal nurse education programs in part because program lengths vary. Programs can be as short as one day and as long as two years. The curriculum will likely include topics such as the roles and responsibilities of legal nurse consultants and expert witnesses and areas of legal practice. Students may also study nursing practice and documentation, vocational damages, malpractice issues of critical care and home health care, and the legal nurse consultant's role in mediation, settlement and trial.
Certification
Nurses who complete legal nurse education and training courses can choose to become certified. The Legal Nurse Consultant Certified (LNCC) program is administered by the American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board and is accredited by the American Board of Nursing Specialties. Nurses seeking certification must meet eligibility requirements. They must have a currently valid, unrestricted nursing license. They must also have five years nursing work experience and 2,000 hours of legal nurse consulting experience within three years of seeking certification. Once eligibility is met, nurses must pass a multiple-choice test on legal nurse subject matter to become certified.
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