These days, it’s cool to be a hyphenate—you know, like actor-activist, graphic designer-herbalist, or dentist-beekeeper. Basically, people who have strong professional skill sets in multiple areas are highly sought after, as industries look for employees who are versatile. And when you throw in healthcare, possibly the hottest industry around, you’re getting into very marketable territory. If you’ve ever found yourself trying to combine nursing skills with a bit of legal eagle expertise, then we might have a new career path for you: legal nurse consultant.

Legal nurse consultants (LNCs) are specialized nurses who provide medical expertise to people or groups who handle legal issues, like lawyers, court officers, lawmakers, insurance companies, or government agencies. For example, in a lawsuit or court case where the defendant claims he was injured, a legal nurse consultant might be brought in to assess the defendant’s medical records or testify about a particular kind of injury in general. Or if an insurance company is investigating the validity of a person’s claim, the legal nurse consultant might be called in to share expertise. Basically, a legal nurse consultant can be the bridge between the legal and healthcare worlds.

A legal nurse consultant’s responsibilities may include:

Legal nurse consultants are often hired directly by law firms, government agencies, insurance companies, nonprofits, healthcare facilities, or forensic laboratories. There are also legal nurse consulting firms that employ LNCs and have them work with clients on a consultant basis. LNCs may also go into business for themselves, setting up direct client relationships. They may work part-time (balancing legal duties with other nursing jobs) or full-time, depending on the employer. About half of LNCs are directly employed by private institutions, while the other half are independent contractors.

Legal nurse consultants need to have two very strong skill sets: medical/clinical and legal. After all, their work depends on having expertise in both areas. While nurses do need strong hands-on patient care skills in general, the skills needed for this specialty tend to be more administrative in nature.

The main starting point to become a legal nurse consultant is a nursing degree and certification. You need that clinical base before you can specialize. At a minimum, legal nurse consultants have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, plus certification as an RN (which means passing the NCLEX and getting licensed by the state). States can have different requirements, so be sure to research what your particular state requires to become a registered nurse.

This is also not an entry-level specialty for nurses. Most legal nurse consultants have at least five years’ experience in nursing practice before becoming a consultant. After all, you have to build expertise before you can share it with others and be an authority.

If you choose to specialize in this area, many nursing programs offer training classes to develop the necessary legal skills. And although certification isn’t necessarily a requirement for working as a legal nurse consultant, many employers prefer to work with nurses who hold a certification from the American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board (ALNCC).

This can be a very lucrative career path for nurses. Most legal nurse consultants work on an hourly basis, with LNCs employed by law firms or private companies typically billing $60-100 per hour, and independent consultants typically billing $65-200 per hour. LNCs may also be able to charge premium fees for providing expert testimony, with average fees ranging from $150-200 per hour for these highly specialized services.

Very bright indeed. Healthcare and nursing jobs are growing exponentially as it is, and legal changes to the healthcare and insurance industries are providing even more openings for nurses with this extra layer of legal expertise.

If you’re looking for a nursing specialty that lets you reach outside the medical field and maybe even add a little legal drama, then becoming a legal nurse consultant could be a lucrative, challenging, and productive choice for your next career steps. Good luck!

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