What is a legal nurse consultant one may ask. A legal nurse consultant is a registered nurse who specializes in healthcare consulting in the legal field. Legal nurse consultants are not just typical consultants, we are nurses. Nurses are often referred to as the doctor's eyes and ears and in this specialty we are the attorney’s eyes. We are able to view a patient chart accurately, quickly, and it comes natural to us.
My background involves critical care, my patients are unstable and often a proper hand off may or may not be available. Of course my first priority is to stabilize my patient, but next comes my chart look-up on this patient and what brings them to me. Some cases are easier than others, some patients are admitted for a few hours and others are admitted for several months. I believe it to be my job to know my patient and my experience of being able to quickly and accurately look-up my patient’s medical record gives an advantage to the attorney. A legal nurse consultant can offer a summary of events, remove all the fluff without compromising necessary details. A legal nurse consultant can essentially be an attorney’s secret to success.
With that being said, what exactly does a legal nurse consultant or myself have to offer? Nurses are patient advocates and we are the most trusted profession. The key to success in the nursing field is attention to detail and one mistake can cost a person their life. Our education is modeled based on that structure, we are trained to be observant people, most nurses can spot a paper cut on someone without trying. This skill alone brings us to why we are a huge key to success. Sometimes it can be the fine details that we notice that can make or break a case. Our attention to detail combined with our medical training, experiences, and our desire to help others make for the perfect storm.
Legal nurse consulting is a growing specialty which I am so excited to see where this specialty leads us to in the years to come. Although this is a completely different role from what one would commonly expect a nurse to be, we are just as equally important to patient care. Somewhere in the world a sentinel event has occurred or a horrible accident and our patients need justice. They need an advocate, they need a nurse.
