Nursing Consultant: Career, Training, & Certification

Nursing Consultant

A fast-paced career option in the world of nursing, nursing consultants fulfill an extremely important role in their backup of legal cases. They are licensed registered nurses, usually with several years of experience in hospitals or clinics already under their belts that allows them to act as a medical authority in the research and interpretation of various legal cases or claims. They may have to testify in court or simply act as the informed opinion about health care issues and delivery. While law firms are where the majority find themselves, nursing consultants can be used beyond the legal world and simply offer their expertise in a variety of other office environments.
 
Salary Outlook
 
The pay scale will vary based on education and experience, but tends to be one of the higher paying realms of nursing.
 
Average Annual Salary
$81,314
 
Salary Range
$71,785-$143,250
 
Work Environment
 
After completing their primary experience as a nurse in a hospital or clinic, nursing consultants can be placed in a variety of office environments. They may find themselves working in government offices, for insurance companies, in hospital risk management departments, or law firms. Additionally, their services are often required in consulting firms or other independent offices, where their years of expertise come in handy in the distillation of information and medical advice or knowledge.
 
Requirements
 
Most legal nurse consultants will find that they need a minimum requirement of a nursing degree, be it a Bachelor’s or Master’s. Several years of nursing experience are preferred. There are graduate degree programs and specific certifications in the nurse legal consultant specialty that may be required by either the state or the specific employer. There may be specific course work which corresponds to the specialty that the nursing consultant is interested in. For example, those who find themselves in a legal environment will probably want to have studied some legal practices. These exact specifications will again depend on employer demands, but most will find themselves pursing an ongoing program of continuing education to keep licenses up to date. 
 
Career Outlook
 
It is estimated that 25% of legal cases currently revolve around medical-related case, so there is a high demand for legal nurse consultants to offer their expertise in the field. The dynamic aspect of this job, which combines the fields of health care as well as law, means that more and more students have been drawn to its study. A corresponding high number of schools have been adding on new courses, and the career as a whole is expected to continue to thrive in the coming decade, with growth rates looking promising.
 
Professional Organizations
 
American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants
401 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (877) 502-2562
www.aalnc.org
 
National League for Nursing
61 Broadway, 33rd Floor
New York, NY 10006
Phone: (212) 363-5555
www.nln.org