Legal Nurse Consultant: Duties & Job Market

Unlike most nurses who work in hospitals or physicians' offices, legal nurse consultants use their medical training to assist legal teams as they prepare for medical cases.

Duties of a legal nurse consultant
Legal nurse consultants are not like most nurses because they do not provide patient care. Instead, they work with attorneys in medical court cases. A legal nurse consultant calls upon his or her medical training and education when interviewing patients and witnesses, organizing medical records for use in a court case, assessing damages and costs, and otherwise providing an expert point of view for attorneys as they prepare their cases.

Where to find legal nurse consultant jobs
Legal nurse consultants can find work at hospitals and law firms that specialize in medical cases. While not all law firms hire full-time legal nurse consultants, individuals can find part-time or freelance work at firms.

Legal nurse consultant programs
Those interested in becoming a legal nurse consultant must first become a registered nurse. To do this, one must complete a bachelor's degree, associate degree, or diploma program. Because most medical cases involve complex and confidential patient information, employers will most likely hire people with a college degree. Some legal nurse consultants might also have a degree in criminal justice, while some might even have a law degree. Education and experience will allow legal nurse consultants to earn the opportunity to work on more complex court cases.

Demand for legal nurse consultants
Nurses make up the largest group of workers in the field of health care. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for certified nurses will increase by more than half a million jobs over the next decade.

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