The American Association of Legal
Nurse Consultants (AALNC), founded
in 1989, is dedicated to the professional
enhancement and growth of registered
nurses practicing in the specialty of legal
nurse consulting, and the advancement
of the nursing specialty. The AALNC
published the first edition of its Scope of
Practice and Standards in 1994, which
guides the legal nurse consultant’s practice
and professional performance. Certification
for the legal nurse consultant subspecialty
was developed by the American Legal
Nurse Consultant Certification Board
(ALNCCB), and the first Legal Nurse
Consultant Certified (LNCC) certification
exam was offered in 1998. The LNCC
credential is the only legal nurse consultant
certification recognized by the American
Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) and
the Accreditation Board for Specialty
Nursing Certification.
In 2006, in collaboration with the
American Nurses Association (ANA),
AALNC updated the Scope & Standards
of Practice for Legal Nurse Consulting.
With this collaboration, the ANA officially
recognized legal nurse consulting as a
specialty practice of nursing.
Working with Legal Nurse Consultants
As a rule, lawyers look for case
consultants who can translate
complex issues into clear, simple terms
understandable by the legal team, juries,
and judges. Attorneys consult with legal
nurse consultants because of their expertise
in nursing and healthcare. Legal nurse
consultants apply their education and
experiential background to the medicallegal
issues in each case—evaluating and
presenting complex medical information
in a way that provides the litigation team
with a greater understanding of the facts
found in the medical record, providing
these valuable services at a lower cost than
a physician consultation.
Legal nurse consultants are appreciated
not only for their ability to simplify
the facts found in the record, but
also for their ability to call attention
to information that may have been
omitted or falsified, protocols that were
not followed, and possible “behind the
scenes” considerations. Legal nurse
consultants understand the nuances of
the complicated healthcare system and
can pick up on subtleties in the medical
records that a non-medical professional
might not. Typically, the more medically
complex the case, the more a legal nurse
consultant can contribute.
While the characteristics of each
legal nurse consultant vary with
respective experience levels and practice
opportunities in general, successful legal
nurse consultants possess unique core
competencies, and consideration should
be given to the following factors when
soliciting nurse consultant services:
Registered nurse with at least five
years prior clinical experience
Strong work ethic and high ethical
standards
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Ability to work independently with
minimal supervision and direction
Willingness to accept responsibility
for seeing projects through
to conclusion
Strong analytical skills; ability
to express opinions logically
and coherently
Effective communication, teaching,
and interpersonal skills
Strong problem-solving skills
Good organizational skills and ability
to prioritize pending work projects
Proficiency in medical literature
searches and internet research
Proficiency in computer programs
such as Word, Adobe, Excel, etc.
General working knowledge of the
laws applicable to medical cases
Course-Based Credentials versus
Specialty Certification
In most professions, certification in
one’s area of expertise is the “best practice”
methodology, and typically signifies a higher
level of proficiency within a respective
specialty practice. According to the ABNS,
certification is the formal recognition of the
specialized knowledge, skills, and experience
demonstrated by the achievement of
standards identified by a nursing specialty
to promote optimal health outcomes. As
awareness of the unique expertise of legal
nurse consultants grows, more firms are
requiring them to demonstrate experiential
and educational achievements beyond
entry-level competency. Certification
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