The History of Legal Nurse Consulting
A Legal Nurse Consultant is a newly emerging profession for Registered Nurses in Australia. Legal Nurse Consultants have been a valuable and well established professional resource in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) for over 20 years.1 This is no surprise given that Registered Nurses are health care professionals who work in a wide variety of settings and specialist areas. Nurses have also been recognised as highly skilled advocates on behalf of patients (also called clients or residents) and their families.2
What cases would a Legal Nurse Consultant typically be involved in?
Legal Nurse Consultants use their clinical knowledge and experience in health care to provide advice to legal professionals, insurance companies, government agencies, and health care organisations.1,3 They can be involved in personal injury cases, workers compensation, product liability and medical malpractice. Some Legal Nurse Consultants also provide recommendations to government agencies or health related organisations on legislation and policy.1,3,4,5
Qualifications
There are no specific qualifications needed in order to become a Legal Nurse Consultant. In the US, legal professionals and health related organisations prefer Registered Nurses who have tertiary qualifications and a wide variety of clinical experience.4 However, the ability to research and interpret information combined with excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential. These interpersonal skills are used to to provide objective evidence based recommendations and produce professional reports.
The benefits of utilising the skills of a Legal Nurse Consultant?
A Legal Nurse Consultant can be used to interpret medical records and terminology, provide a case chronology, evaluate case information against recognised standards of care, and research literature, legislation, policy and procedure.1,3,4,5 Legal Nurse Consultants are increasingly being regarded as a valuable, accessible and cost-effective member of a legal team.1
Conflicts of Interest
Generally, the Legal Nurse Consultant will be a practising RN, so it is important that any potential conflict of interests are declared to their client. They should refuse cases that directly involves their employer. If a conflict of interest is discovered at a later stage, the Legal Nurse Consultant should discuss the matter with their client.4
Conclusion
In summary, it is inevitable that Legal Nurse Consultants in Australia will become as recognised for their skills in this newly emerging field as their US and UK counterparts.
References
- Sobotkin, Gail M, ‘Legal Nurse Consulting’ (2000) 100 American Journal of Nursing 24LL
- Choi, Sandy Pin-pin, Kin Cheung and Samantha Mei-che Pang, ‘A Field Study of the Role of Nurses in Advocating for Safe Practice in Hospitals’ (2013) 70 Journal of Advanced Nursing 1584
- Paterson, Mary A and Patricia McMullen, ‘So You Want to Be a Legal Nurse Consultant or an Expert Witness’
(2007) 3 The Journal for Nurse Practitioners 29 - McCartney, Patricia R, ‘Want to Know More About Legal Nurse Consulting?’ (2003) 28 MCN, The American
Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing 271 - Meiner, Sue E, ‘The Legal Nurse Consultant’ (2005) 26 Geriatric Nursing 34