Legal Nurse Consultants: Job Description, Education, Skills and Abilities, Earnings and Outlook
Submitted by: paula
Job Overview Legal nurse consultants are registered and trained nurses who have thorough understanding thorough training, practice and experience of the trends and issues in medical and allied medical practice. They are basically members of the litigation team and deal with medically related legal cases such as medical malpractice, personal injury as well product liability lawsuits.
Education, Knowledge and Trainings Required
If you wish to establish a career in the field of legal nursing, prepare as early as high school by taking subjects in Biology, Chemistry, Physics as well as other health courses. English and Communication classes are helpful since they will be collaborating with the other types of professionals sucha s the attorneys in the actual practice of the profession. All legal nurse consultants should be registered or licensed nurses. To be such, a 4 year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree should be completed and a licensure exam should be passed. A significant working experience is also necessary. Areas that are most likely involved in legal cases include obstetrics, emergency, critical are and/or intensive care units. Legal education is not at all necessary yet a program provided by the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants will provide the basic knowledge on this specific specialty.
Skills and Abilities
Legal nurse consultants shuld possess skills basic in rendering nursing care to patients. A helping and teaching skills are a must as they will be assisting people with legal needs and dealing with issues related to lives. Communication skills are needed so as to establish good rapport and be able to work with different professionals in solving the case.
Duties
Legal nurse consultants are either employed by a law firm, an insurance company, government agency or a hospital as part of risk management department, or self employed. they act as liaison officers between the healthcare and the legal communities.
As such, they utlize their clinical knowlege and skills, as well as knowledge and experience in medical standards and resources to aid the litigation teams in cases that are medical and legal in nature. Their duties include studying the case, evaluating and analyzing the situation so as to render an informed opinion regarding the healthcare. They collaborate and work with the other health care professionals such as the doctors and health supervisors, and the legal professionals such as the lawyers and investigators.
Earnings and Job Outlook
The job outlook for this kind of profession is expected to move faster than the average for the other professions. The salary of a legal nurse consultant depends on factors such as na employer, location, the years of experience and the proven expertise in the field. The range of annual salary for this type of nurse stars from 30,000 U.S. dollars to 45,000 U.S. dollars yearly. Those who are already established in the field, or those whose practice also involve independent consultancies may earn around and over 100,000 U.S. dollars yearly.
Paula Hiz is a researcher and a human resource specialist who helps newly graduates, job applicants and post graduate professionals be aware of their job opportunities and available trainings for skills and practice upgrading.
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