Legal nurse consulting is an evaluation and analysis of facts and opinions rendering information pertaining to the provision of health services and outcomes. With a strong foundation based on education and experience, Inc. is qualified to assess adherence to standards and guidelines for nursing practice. LNCs can be successfully used in other than medical malpractice litigation, such as personal injury, toxic tort, product liability, criminal, will dispute, and the cases of marriage.

Inc. is a licensed registered nurse. He or she perform a critical analysis of clinical and administrative practice, healthcare facts and issues, and their results. Services provided to the legal profession, health professions, consumer health and legal services, and others as appropriate. Services Inc. is rooted in his expertise as a nurse. American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) has defined legal nurse consulting as a special practice of the nursing profession, a position supported by the American Nurses Association in 2006.

Nurses provide legal nurse consulting can be found as employees in many settings, including in the company of the plaintiff or defense, the risk manager’s office, federal agencies and state, and insurance companies. An equal number of LNCs entrepreneurs (called “independent”) and provide services to clients on both sides of the bar.

LNCs not paralegals
There is some confusion about the role and function of the difference in the preparation of a paralegal in comparison Inc.. By definition, paralegals and legal assistants qualified through education, training or work experience to perform specific jobs delegated substantive legal counsel responsible. Some legal education is usually a requirement for paralegals. Paralegal learn about the common law, legal research, torts, legal writing, civil litigation, and litigation support technical. The simple explanation is that paralegals have some education about the law, and Inc is a nurse who has developed expertise in assisting attorneys with medical problems.

Although many LNCs have gained knowledge of the legal system through experience such as consulting with attorneys and attending seminars, legal education is not a prerequisite for the practice of independent legal nurse consulting. Professional nursing education and healthcare experience make LNCs unique and valuable partner in the legal process.

LNCs usually not a paralegal nurse
Many lawyers, consultants, legal nurse unfamiliar with the term or abbreviation, Inc., can refer to nurses as “paralegal nurse”. Unless the nurse has taken a paralegal program, the term is not true. Correct use of the term refers to the nurse paralegal paralegal who is also a nurse. In contrast, legal nurse consultant is a registered nurse who consults on health issues in the legal arena. Confusion about the role of emerging as well as in some settings legal nurse consultants perform the same job several legal assistants and paralegals to do, especially in small law offices.

While LNCs can acquire knowledge of legal documents, such as complaints, interrogatories, requests for production, and the like, LNCs most do not have legal training and are not often used to prepare legal documents. Their focus does not include wills, real estate transactions, and other areas of non-health related to the law which is a typical part of paralegal education. This task does not make the best use of the ability of the legal nurse consultant.

Legal education programs for nurses offered by a legal assistant or paralegal education programs also led to confusion about roles. To the extent that the legal education provided to nurses by legal assistant or paralegal education programs, it must be considered separately from education paralegals and legal assistants in their practice because of differences in the legal arena. AALNC position, therefore, is that education should be developed Inc. and presented as specialty nursing curricula by nurse educators in partnership with legal educators.