Legal Nurse Consultant – Career and Education Profile

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Legal nurse consultants provide expert opinion in courts or help lawyers strengthen their cases and understand the medical information involving their clients.

Job Responsibilities

As a legal nurse consultant, you’ll work away from clinical practice and instead work more as a liaison or in communications to help laypeople understand medical information. You could do tasks such as working with a lawyer to understand charts, researching medical cases, serving as a expert witness in court, preparing findings reports, dealing with informatics issues, and more. In addition, you could work with insurance companies, medical manufacturers, and other companies related to the medical world, but not involved with patient care. Legal nurse consultants often work independently, contracting with clients, so your tasks will change from day to day, depending on the cases you’re handling and your clients at any give time.

Salary and Career Options

Unlike most types of nurses, legal nurse consultants often work on an hourly basis. You can earn $100 to $200 per hour, on average, working in this field, but it depends on your location, the client, and your level of expertise. Almost all legal nurse consultants work for several years in the nursing field and have at least a master’s degree before working as a consultant in the field. The highest-paid consultants are typically specialists in their fields or have additional training in law or forensic nursing.

Educational Requirements

To become a legal nurse consultant, you need at least an associate’s degree, though most RNs go on to get their bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in this field before becoming certified. Your classes will cover a number of topics outside general nursing, such as malpractice, liability, forensics, elderly care law, and general health law. You can then seek certification through the American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board (ALNCCB).

LPN to RN College Programs

With some additional schooling, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) can become a registered nurse (RN), opening doors to more job opportunities and higher salaries. The following is a list of schools with the best online LPN to RN degree programs offered by accredited colleges. You can request information by clicking the college's logo.

LPN to RN (BSN)	Indiana State University—ISU’s LPN to BSN degree program is the only online LPN to RN training program in the United States. LPNs and LVNs who complete this program can earn their NLNAC-approved Bachelor of Science degree in nursing entirely online. Upon completion, graduates should meet all of the prerequisites for becoming an RN. Read an in-depth review of Indiana State University.
LPN to RN LPN to ADN LPN to BSN	The College Network—Earn your LPN to RN (ADN) degree completely online with no campus attendance and no wait list. Learn from the convenience of home at your own pace, and earn an NLNAC-accredited associate’s degree in less time and for less money than traditional campus programs. Read an in-depth review of The College Network.
	Select a subject and degree level, then click "Find My Degree" to browse 100+ online nursing schools offering relevant accredited programs.
BS in Nursing RN to MSN MSN in Nurse Education MSN in Nurse Informatics MSN in Nurse Management	Walden University—Founded in 1970, Walden University is dedicated to providing education for a higher purpose. The Nursing School confers degrees at the bachelor’s and master’s level, which provides further study in health informatics, nursing education, and nursing leadership/management. Walden is one of the biggest providers of online master and doctorate programs with over a hundred degrees offered at each level.
RN to BSN MS in Nursing (MSN) MSN in Adult Health RN to MSN in Nurse Education Accelerated RN to MSN	South University—South University’s College of Nursing offers numerous degree programs for aspiring nurses. Those looking for a BSN degree can enter into the RN to BSN and complete it within 18 months. South also offers the following master’s degree-level programs: MS in Nursing (MSN), MSN in adult health nurse practitioning, MSN in nurse education, and an accelerated RN to MSN.
RN to BSN RN to MSN MSN in Nurse Administration MSN in Nurse Education	Kaplan University—Kaplan University’s RN to BSN and RN to MSN programs feature curriculums that provide registered nurses with the tools to graduate with BSN and MSN degrees. The MSNs in Nurse Administration or Nurse Education feature curriculums that teach methods in management and education in order to prepare students for leadership and educator positions with in the nursing field.