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Legal Nurse Consultant Blog

To Do or To Don’t – That Is the Question for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants

Structured procrastination is a very real malady that many CLNC® consultants (or any business person) suffer from. A symptom that one is afflicted with this slow-moving disease is the endless making of checklists and constant interaction with the lists.

My own research has identified that this disease first appeared in the early 1990’s, when a famous motivational speaker encouraged his followers to start their day by making a “to-do” list of everything they needed to accomplish that day and then end their day by making a list of what they didn’t complete. In between, he encouraged them to check off (or add and check off) each item that was completed. The same cycle started over the next day, and the next and the next. Rather than label this compulsive behavior by its DSM-5 title of structured procrastination, I simply call it the “feel good addiction.”

This feel-good addiction doesn’t just infect unproductive legal nurse consultants. Even if you are productive you can be addicted to straightening, organizing, reorganizing and checking off. The feel-good addiction is insidious for those who like to check things off, because you feel good after completing each small task.

How Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Can Get Three Times as Much Done in a Day

When we were little we were taught that good students sit in their chairs and don’t move. Those of us who were the most still, got the most gold stars. And those of us who weren’t still – well let’s just say we didn’t get the best marks in conduct.

In 2014 we know, that contrary to those experts, we learn best when we’re on the move. Learning experts have proven that we remember best what we learn at the beginning and at the end of a study session. Therefore it pays to have shorter, more frequent study sessions.

The strategy of being on the move can work for your legal nurse consulting productivity too. How often do you find yourself staring at your computer screen waiting for the insights and words to come? Knowing the attorney’s deadline is looming, you’re hoping the report will write itself if you sit staring at the computer screen long enough.

When you hit the roadblock head-on, that might just be the right time to get up and take a 5-minute walk, stretch or have a cup of healthy green tea. You’ll most likely find the words you’re seeking in those moments of movement.

Always Dress for CLNC® Success (Even If You’re Just Getting the Mail)

Our more casual attire doesn’t always set us up strategically for spontaneously meeting attorney-prospects. Professional Certified Legal Nurse Consultants know there’s such a thing as comfortable, too comfortable and way too comfortable, and they dress accordingly anytime they step out the door.

Tom’s Tech Tips

Tom’s Tech Tip: How to Protect Yourself Digitally

All Certified Legal Nurse Consultants have heard the news about the increasing numbers of major companies who have had credit cards and other personal data accessed by hackers. More and more of these breaches have involved personal information as well as credit card numbers. If your data has been included in the information that was “hacked” you’ve probably received a notice from either that merchant (Target, Neiman Marcus, etc.) or from your credit card company that you need to protect yourself. Given that the bad guys apparently have addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, those miscreants now have many ways to contact you also.

Social Media Warnings for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants

Social Media Warnings for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants

Social media accounts such as Facebook®, Twitter®, Instagram® and their like present a wealth of potentially damaging information for both plaintiff and defense. Many people leave those accounts open to public viewing, indexing and searching. It’s common and considered standard practice for attorneys to review the public and private social media accounts of their own client and the public social media accounts of the opposing parties, expert witnesses and even jurors for potentially useful or damaging information. Attorneys research those social media accounts before, during and after litigation.

Many account owners set the privacy settings to allow only “friends” or approved parties to view their posts. If an attorney requests you, as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, to “friend” or infiltrate an opposing party’s or juror’s private account, don’t do it. Attorneys are themselves ethically prohibited from doing so and ethically prevented from instructing someone else to do the same. The attorney should always obtain the information through the proper discovery process.

While social media is certainly a minefield,

9 Lessons Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Can Learn from Shark Tank

A friend asked me if I’d seen “Shark Tank.” I shared that I’ve dived and snorkeled in open waters with sharks in Fiji, the Galapagos and Maldives, but never in a shark tank. She laughed and said, “I’m talking about the television show in which entrepreneurs pitch their business plan to a group of multi-millionaire entrepreneurs (and a billionaire or two) in hopes of getting investment money to launch or grow a business.”

The show sounded just as interesting as swimming with real sharks and after checking it out I came away with some insights that entrepreneurial-thinking Certified Legal Nurse Consultants can use in your CLNC® businesses.

  1. It’s your money and you work really hard for it – and you have to keep doing so to keep money coming in. Don’t expect to be able to slack off once you’re a successful nurse entrepreneur.
  2. Don’t live in a bubble – it will burst if you don’t keep up with your marketing. I have a saying “after the marketing, the marketing.” When you’re the busiest in your CLNC business you still need to market.
  3. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Vickie Milazzo's Thoughts for Success

Thoughts for Success: Promises to Make to Yourself

Promise #2 reminds us that the opposite of success is not failure. The opposite of success is NOT stepping out, NOT going for what you want in your life or your RN job – whether it’s legal nurse consulting, an advanced RN degree or simply going for a promotion. Every time you step out into the unknown, win or lose you succeed. You might get a rejection or two, or three, but you won’t end up at your hospital retirement party or 90th birthday party with nothing more than plain white cake, unspiked punch and regrets.

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Sure, bad things can happen when we step out, but I believe worse things happen to our souls when we don’t.

I’m Just Sayin’

P.S. Comment and share how you plan to go for it.

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Tom’s Tech Tip: When the Weather’s Cool – It’s Time for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants to Get Cooler

Computer cables are pretty much all the same – black or white and sometimes shades of gray (but not 50). They’re functional, but not cool. If you’ve got a future CLNC® consultant in college or high school who has a birthday coming up – here’s the ideal gift: bungee-style USB cables that will work with any USB device – whether it’s an iPad®, iPod®, Android® or other USB device. They come in varying colors, styles and every Certified Legal Nurse Consultant will agree they are a terrific upgrade from that plain white Apple® cable.

Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Go Where the Attorneys Go

If you want to introduce yourself as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant to a lot of attorneys in a short period of time, consider going where they go. You might not get invited to their parties, but you can attend the conferences they attend. Check the legal conferences in your area that relate to your CLNC® business: medical malpractice, personal injury, products liability, toxic tort, workers’ compensation or criminal cases and sign up to exhibit.

Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Susan Schaab, RN, BSN, CLNC shares: “I attend the trial lawyers’ association seminars related to medical malpractice and personal injury cases. I have come home with a new attorney-client or case every time. Even better is the thrill I experience when one of my attorney-clients, who is a highly respected plaintiff-attorney, introduces me as his CLNC consultant!”

At the legal conference, make it your goal to network professionally and to talk to as many attorneys as possible. Soon the attorneys will be introducing you as their Certified Legal Nurse Consultant to all of their attorney peers.

I’m Just Sayin’

P.S. Comment and share your most effective way of meeting attorney-prospects.

*The opinions and statements made by Vickie Milazzo, the founder of Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc. are based on her experiences and expertise, should not be applied beyond the specific context provided, and do not guaranty or project actual results. Vickie Milazzo is no longer involved in the operations or management of the business, but is involved as an independent education consultant.

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