Today, nurses play a vital role in the world of medicine. They provide a helping hand for people who need immediate medical care. They also offer medical and even emotional support for patients and make sure that their medical needs are attended to properly. But did you know that nurses can also work in the law industry?
If you are interested to know more about legal nurses, you can check out legal nurse consulting programs. For one thing, you need to be a registered nurse to be a legal nurse. This kind of profession not only requires you to be an expert in the medical field but also in the legal aspects of things.
What does a legal nurse do?
A legal nurse work on legal cases. They use their medical expertise as part of court hearings and evidence. For example, they evaluate collated evidence for malpractice and other medical-related cases filed against medical personnel, a hospital, or an organization.
Legal nurses should also be knowledgeable in legal jargon, various medical literature, and multiple medical-related cases. They usually work under different legal and medical institutions, including:
- Law firms
- Legal departments and establishments
- Insurance companies
- Healthcare establishments
- Forensic agencies
Typically, a legal nurse is required to evaluate, analyze, and summarize medical records, interview various clients, and do research work. Also, they are responsible for educating lawyers regarding medical-related legal cases. They also need to attend to medical exams as per the court’s order and find evidence that will help solve a medical-related case.
They play a significant role in providing the right kind of information that can help a case. Some legal nurses also have medical specializations, including obstetrics, cardiology, pediatrics, and others.
How to become a legal nurse
As mentioned, you need to be a registered nurse to become a legal nurse. As a registered nurse, you have to have at least five years of nursing experience before you can embark on your journey as a legal nurse. The program will help you prepare for handling medical-related cases such as medical malpractice and the like.
To avoid issues that can affect your new venture as a legal nurse, you should only enroll in institutions that offer the program and complies with government standards. You will only be eligible to become a full-fledged legal nurse once you complete the training and bear certificate.
Legal nurses are essential in medical-related cases due to their supposed extension knowledge in the medical field. For one thing, they are most knowledgeable in medical and biological studies. He or she also has extensive knowledge in handling patients and dealing with medical records that can help in a legal case.
They also have a vast connection of professional and medical contacts and resources. These will help a lot in case they need extra help in providing sound evidence in every case. If you want to know more, the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants offers a training program for those who wish to become a legal nurse.