Are You Feeling Independent on this Independence Day?
Nothing is more threatening to your independence than a state of fear. Fear of the unknown can cause you to cling to an RN job at the hospital that you haven’t loved for quite some time.
Nothing is more threatening to your independence than a state of fear. Fear of the unknown can cause you to cling to an RN job at the hospital that you haven’t loved for quite some time.
Many registered nurses enter legal nurse consulting because they are seeking to leave bedside nursing and their stressful RN hospital job. At our CLNC Certification Seminar I encountered a young nurse who entered nursing because, first and foremost, she wanted to become a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant!
Moody’s Investors Service issued a negative 2015 outlook for not-for-profit (NFP) healthcare organizations. Moody’s predicts that hospital revenue will remain weak and operating expenses will increase. In 2014 Modern Healthcare reported that revenues were up for NFP facilities, but that those gains were offset by operating costs associated with the increased number of sicker patients. In essence, hospitals are handling more with less.
Yesterday I talked to an RN, Michael, who shared that he dreaded going to work and that’s why he signed up for LegalNurse.com’s CLNC Certification training program. He has eight years of nursing experience and is unhappy with the little amount of payoff he gets from his RN job. He wants more for himself.
If you’re considering a career as a legal nurse consultant, I’m sure you’ve thought, “How would I even get started?” The idea of changing a career is an intimidating one. Add onto that, your commitments, both personal and family, and I can understand how it would be very easy to talk yourself into thinking it just can’t be done. One of my favorite quotes from Mark Twain is “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
I was recently contacted regarding a federal lawsuit alleging that Houston Methodist deducted 30 minutes each shift for breaks whether the nurses took them in whole, in part or not at all. There are more than 20 similar lawsuits throughout the U.S.
In speaking with registered nurses I’m often asked, “How can I become a legal nurse consultant?” To which I always reply, “Get certified!”
CLNC students sometimes express concern about getting their first legal nurse consulting job while working a full-time RN job at the hospital. My response: 12-hour shifts are your best friend, providing you use your four days off each week to grow your legal nurse consulting business.
No one labors harder than an RN in their hospital job. Nurses aren’t afraid of hard work, but in LegalNurse.com’s National Nurses’ Stress Survey 84% of RNs stated they are not fairly compensated or want more pay. This finding should come as no surprise as the salary outlook for RNs in 2014 has not been terrific.
The elephant (how poorly RNs are treated) has been in the hospital room for decades. The Nurses’ Stress Survey merely validated what you and I already knew. Nurses are completely stressed out and hospitals are to blame for it.
*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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