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Legal Nurse Consultant Career Background A legal nurse consultant (LNC) is a registered nurse who uses existing expertise as a health care professional plus specialized legal training to consult on medical-related cases. This is also known as the nursing speciality of legal nursing. Very few attorneys understand the complex medical jargon and health care requirements of patients. The legal nurse consulting profession has arisen to supply this perceived shortfall in the legal profession, allowing them to combine their existing medical skills with legal knowledge enabling them to provide advice and opinions to those in the legal profession. Legal nurse consultants provide healthcare expertise for insurance companies, utilization review firms, government agencies, private corporations and hospitals, both as staff members and consultants. The legal nurse consulting profession allows nurses many options for establishing a satisfying and profitable part-time or full-time career. Services provided include assisting with discovery; conducting research; reviewing medical records; identifying standards of care; preparing reports and summaries on the extent of injury or illness; and locating expert witnesses. Although most legal nurse consultants work behind the scenes, they may also serve as expert witnesses. The legal nurse consultant acts as a specialized member of the litigation team whose professional contributions are often critical to achieving a fair and just outcome for all parties. The industry is not directed solely at prosecuting litigation, but is also employed to advise on legal implications and defences for medical incidents, as is illustrated by the book The Health Care Provider's Guide to Facing the Malpractice Deposition. This book is puiblished in the UK, showing that the industry is not confined to the US. |
