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How I Survived Downsizing and Divorce to Triumph as a CLNC®by Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, CLNC
Meanwhile, I found a similar job as head of a hospital department for all home-care-related services. This job presented two major challenges: the department had no computer system and the employees were unionized. Just as things began coming together, the hospital was sold to a large corporation. Within two months, my department was closed, and all employees received severance packages and were sent on their way. I was the victim of downsizing yet again. As if these career catastrophes weren't enough, four-and-a-half years ago, I got divorced for the second time. What was I to do? Here I was, divorced, jobless and not wanting to go through another downsizing episode. My severance package would not last forever, and being dependant on my ex-husband did not appeal to me. For a long time I had been receiving flyers on Vickie's CLNC® Certification Program. It sounded interesting, but I hadn't had time to pursue it. Now I pulled out one of those flyers, called for more information – and felt I had found my answer. Determination Paves the Way to CertificationMany years ago, I owned my own home-care agencies. I liked being my own boss. I had good business sense and people skills, and I enjoyed a challenge. My background was in oncology, then home health and hospice. I had my master's in psych and had worked in that arena for a while. I knew such an eclectic background would serve me well as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, but I needed to earn money while pursuing my training.I called on a friend in the home health field, the nursing director of a home infusion company. He said he needed another field nurse, and I jumped at the chance, knowing that as a per diem employee I would have a lot of flexibility. I loved working with the patients and could work as little or as much as I chose. I ordered Vickie's CLNC® Certification Program on video. I watched portions of the videos almost every day. I was sure I'd be able to finish the course, study and take the exam in six months. But life has a funny way of throwing us curve balls. On my 50th birthday, I boasted that I did not feel 50. Nine years earlier I had an inoperable, nonmalignant brain tumor. I had an annual MRI to ensure the tumor had not moved or grown, and I felt well and healthy. But two weeks after my 50th birthday I got very sick. I had some strange auto-immune symptoms and was left with no hearing in my right ear and unsteady balance. I was told that the eighth cranial nerve had been permanently destroyed, but that the problem was unrelated to my brain lesion. I was unable to ascertain from which direction sound was coming. That problem remains with me, but I have learned to compensate. The most annoying and frustrating result was that I couldn't read or watch videos for a few months. I felt a sense of urgency about completing the necessary work for my CLNC® Certification. Finally, 11 months after receiving the program, I finished it and took the Certification Exam. Where to Start My Legal Nurse Consultant Career?Although I passed the exam, I was bewildered about where to go from there. But I was anxious to get started and decided to be a little aggressive. First, I contacted attorneys I knew, regardless of their specialty, and asked for referrals. My attorney friends were intrigued by what I was doing. Most of them had never heard of a legal nurse consultant!I made phone calls every day. I put together a packet of information to send new contacts who expressed interest. My first case came from a friend who practices estate law. She had me go with her to a hospital to help assess a terminal patient so she could write a bedside will. I addressed the client's competency to make decisions based on physical condition, mental status and any medication effects. This case brought more referrals from the estate attorney. Another friend who practices labor law had no work for me himself, but passed out my flyers at a meeting of plaintiff attorneys. The next morning, I got a call from an attorney who had picked up a flyer. He desperately needed the services of someone like me and asked how soon I could come to see him. I was in his office within two hours and walked out with a personal injury case related to a motor vehicle accident. This attorney became a good client and gave my name to several colleagues. Interestingly enough, my attorney-clients had never known that legal nurse consultants existed. Most of them had either plodded through the medical records or hired physicians. Many of them wanted to know why I thought I could do a better job than they could. They believed that because they had been doing it for so many years themselves, they really understood the medical issues. Fortunately, I was able to show them that they did need me, and that using my expertise was more cost-effective than doing it themselves. A couple of my best clients said they wanted to use me on every medical-related case. This was a good break for me, but unfortunately, these clients were not getting dozens of such cases every week. So I continued to work my day job. Growth Through NetworkingI joined three different networking groups and attended meetings religiously. After a while other members get to know you, understand what you do and become confident in giving you referrals. Most referrals from these groups came not from the attorneys in the group, but from attorneys other members knew and had me contact. I also started sending out an information newsletter every other month.My efforts started paying off. Before I knew it, attorneys I did not know or contact myself were calling me. Attorneys for whom I worked were giving my name to other attorneys. I also gained three steady clients from my newsletters, a good response given that my mailing was only going to about 400 attorneys at the time. One of these steady clients is an attorney who specializes in dog bites and manages cases from coast to coast. I get 10-12 of these cases per month, from simple cases to those involving disfiguring injuries. I summarize the medical records for each case and provide the attorney a one-to-two-page overview describing the injuries, treatment and possible future treatment. I charge for my time tracking and reviewing the cases and writing the reports. This client provides me with steady income every single month, and the work is the easiest I do. I have other steady clients, but their assignments are more complex. The combination is exciting and challenging.
Word of Mouth Keeps My Legal Nurse Consulting Business Flowing During RelocationLast year I moved from Los Angeles to San Diego. About six months before the move, I asked an attorney friend in L.A. if he knew any San Diego attorneys. He came up with several association lists of both plaintiff and defense attorneys. I made numerous phone calls and set up appointments with as many of these potential clients as I could. I always used my friend's name, stating that he had referred me and given me their number. Although he only knew a few of them personally, no one came right out and said they never heard of him.From these contacts came a multitude of new clients. One attorney actually handed me medical records as I left his office after our first meeting. Another attorney asked me to speak to his firm about the services I could provide on bad faith insurance cases. Another contact referred me to his buddy in the San Diego City Attorney's office, who became a client. Word of mouth was again a plus for me. After I had lived in San Diego for only three weeks, 40% of my client base was here. Networking has helped my San Diego clientele grow. I have already received inquiries and requests for service from attorneys who heard about me through other attorneys. I stressed to my Los Angeles clients that their cases will continue to receive the same quality service as when I lived in L.A. Fax machines, email and FedEx are wonderful. Sixty percent of my client base is still in L.A. Making the Leap into Full-time Legal Nurse Consultant PracticeDespite these successes, until recently I continued to see home health patients for two agencies to earn "bread and butter" money. I always knew I could supplement my Certified Legal Nurse Consulting income with home health visits if the phone stopped ringing for a few days. In addition, my home health work gave me the clinical continuity to feel comfortable testifying about clinical issues.At one of the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (NACLNC®) Conference, Vickie talked about taking that leap and letting go of secondary work in order to build your legal nurse consulting practice into a full-time business. I really wanted to do this, but it was scary. After that conference I went home and told both home health agencies to call me only if they were really desperate for a nurse. Slowly, I weaned myself away and was able to tell them to take me off their rosters. When attorneys ask about testifying, I tell them I will find a clinically active nurse to testify. I explain that although I still testify to the findings of medical record reviews, I no longer testify to clinical issues. This too was a leap, as my rate for testifying is double my consulting rate. I felt like I was letting go of a lifeline, but I reminded myself that testifying to clinical issues was not the bulk of my business. Then I took the plunge anyway. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with work that I cannot complete it all in a timely manner. I then subcontract with other nurses. I either write or review and approve any report that goes out of my office. When my subcontractors write a report, they use a format I give them. I have subcontracted with nurses to attend IMEs and to testify within their area of expertise. What my legal nurse consulting practice has brought me is total freedom. I feel emancipated. I no longer need the home health visit income; I have more than surpassed that. I don't have any desire to go back to a clinical setting. At times I do miss the patient contact, but I often get quite involved with the attorneys' clients. Many of them call me to ask for medical resources or nursing advice. I feel like I have the best of all worlds. I am so happy Vickie encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. I love what I am doing, I'm busy, challenged and financially secure, and I am so proud to be a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, CLNC, an independent Certified Legal Nurse Consult, has owned Barnes Medical Legal Services since 1999. She consults on medical malpractice, bad faith insurance, general personal injury, home care, elder abuse and research services.    |
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