I first saw an ad for the CLNC® Certification Program in a nursing magazine about five years ago. What sparked my interest was the $125-plus per hour consulting fee I could earn. I have enjoyed nursing for 20 years, but I knew I didn't want to grow old being a hospital nurse. I was feeling a little dissatisfied with the politics, the bureaucracy, the increased patient loads and the administrative problems. Yet if I went to work in a doctor's office or outside the hospital, I felt I would never achieve some of my goals such as traveling. I wanted to increase my income and further my career but stay in a field related to nursing.
I called Vickie Milazzo Institute and requested my free information packet. When the information packet arrived, I read the free CLNC® Success Stories book and found it fascinating and exciting. These were nurses like me who became Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. Even in the midst of trials and tribulations in their personal lives, they had triumphed and were now successful CLNC® consultants.
For a couple of years I entertained the idea of becoming a CLNC® consultant, but I was going through a divorce, I had an ill parent and this was a trying time in my life. I knew I needed emotional energy to focus on the CLNC® business.
Finally, three years later, my boyfriend, who's a very successful businessman, encouraged me to get certified. Last May I attended the CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar and the 2-Day NACLNC® Apprenticeship that immediately followed.
I firmly believe that if I had not done the Apprenticeship, I wouldn't be where I am today. It prepared me to go out and market myself. As a nurse, I was so accustomed to serving and helping people that I wasn't used to selling myself. The Apprenticeship program gave me the extra boost of confidence and all the tools I needed to leap into the marketing aspect of my CLNC® business.
In Just 8 Months I Met All My Goals and Increased My Income 70%
When I got home, I started formulating a business plan with one-month, two-month and three-month goals. Like Vickie taught me, I began taking baby action steps every day. One of those baby steps was telling at least three people what I did. When my profession came up in the course of conversation, a lot of people didn't know what Certified Legal Nurse Consultants do. I would explain, and they'd say, "I know an attorney" or "I have a neighbor who's an attorney." This easy networking is directly related to my success today.
I also set a goal to be successful in my CLNC® business by my next birthday, and on my birthday I got my first case. Now, I'm retired from the hospital because I couldn't juggle my hospital work with all my CLNC® assignments. That was another goal I met.
I feel like an investigative reporter. I get to look at medical records, piece together what happened and figure out the puzzle. That's fascinating. And within only eight months, I have increased my income by 70%. It's been an exciting journey.
Vickie Is an Incredible Role Model for Me and My CLNC® Business
Vickie is an awesome woman and she's really worked hard to get where she is. Yet she's actually one of us. Her teaching style is fresh, down to earth and easy to follow. She's highly motivating and encouraging. During the CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar I found myself just waiting for every word that came out of her mouth. From the time I got certified last May until the NACLNC® Conference in March, I was counting the days. I know I wouldn't be here today without her VIP CLNC® Success System.
Legal nurse consulting is a specialized field. After the CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar and the 2-Day Live Apprenticeship, I felt fully prepared to put on that power suit and shake hands with that attorney.
Along the way other nurses have been curious about what I've accomplished, and I tell them that Vickie Milazzo Institute offers the only program that helps you flourish as a legal nurse consultant. I know one nurse who did a program online, more of a nurse-paralegal program presenting itself as a legal nurse consulting program. She has never done anything with it because she doesn't have the tools to get started.
Every VIP Resource Gives Me New, Easy-to-Use Ideas
I've made good use of the unlimited mentoring with the CLNC® Mentors. They all know me, and the wonderful thing is, no question seems stupid to them. They're so willing to help you succeed. They understand because they've been there, and they give you great ideas on how to get through whatever obstacle or question you're facing.
The other resources of the VIP CLNC® Success System have also been very helpful – they're like my third, fourth and fifth vitals. I frequently refer to Vickie's books; the Core Curriculum for Legal Nurse Consulting® textbook, Flash 55: 55 FREE Ways to Promote Your CLNC® Business and Create Your Own Magic for CLNC® Success, for fresh ideas on how to enhance my business. All of Vickie's books are well written and easy to follow.
I Have a Fresh Attitude Toward Nursing and a Rewarding New Way to Help Patients
The most rewarding thing about my CLNC® practice is that I get to continue helping patients and their families. In the course of my business, I have met with the attorneys' clients, either a surviving patient or the family of a patient who has passed away. I've actually sat with them, held their hands, listened to their traumatic stories and made friends in the process. Then when the case goes to trial, I've seen their reaction when they recover the damages they deserve for the error that occurred – their satisfaction at receiving justice and their relief that the ordeal is finally over. You can't take away the loss they suffered, but knowing that you were able to help them find satisfaction and make the loss more bearable is very rewarding.
Becoming a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant has changed my life because it's given me a new, fresh attitude toward nursing, the work nurses do, and the incredible reward they experience from making someone better as well as the dissatisfaction they feel when they could have done more if they'd had the time. I've actually learned more nursing than I ever would have learned in the hospital because I'm now dealing with adult disease processes and surgery cases in addition to neonatal and pediatric cases which are my specialty. As a CLNC® consultant I have a renewed sense of where I'm going, what I'm doing and what I'm meant to do, and this profession is a perfect fit for me.
