The Answer to Your Mentoring Question May Be a Google Search Away

Being an Institute student, I am new to CLNC^®dom. Therefore, when I heard Tom talking about settlement brochures and trial notebooks, I had to check those out. Much to my surprise, a simple Google search gave me a wealth of information about them. I was especially impressed with a video brochure that was online. It was like a Hollywood production. Wow! And I found out that Microsoft has a plug-in for a Legal Trial Notebook, which works as a template in Word. I don’t know if I’ll ever have occasion to use these two items, but am glad that I know more about them.

I absolutely love taking this course. It is providing me a plethora of information and new adventures. It is a great learning experience.

Jessica,

We use a combination of Google and Yahoo! for searching. We recommend that you don’t rely on one search tool only and Dogpile is a great way to supplement those searches. Remember, there’s a great listing of authoritative websites inside the NACLNC^® Community as well as a listing of authoritative textbooks. They’re both well marked so you won’t have to search for them.

Hi Vickie!

During my CLNC^® 6-Day Certification class in Philadelphia, Tom talked about Google for research. He also mentioned Dogpile. Are there any other search engines besides Google and Dogpile that could help me? There is so much online, and I am really feeling good about the research I am doing. I just wonder if there is more out there that I am not aware of.

Thanks.

HI everybody,

Interesting comments! Interesting places to search! Thank you. I’m often called by attorneys here in WI who need someone to speak to reasonableness of medical charges, and sometimes, this can be a mind-bloggling event. This actually goes beyond just looking at the client’s medical bills; sometimes I spend days and hours calling doing this task. Maybe I’ll have better luck using some of these sites!

See you next week! FIVE MORE DAYS and we start our road trip!

With my first med mal case, I had to do research on a medical condition and a medication that I was already familiar with. I should have emailed Tom. I was all over the place trying to zero in on information. I had no research strategy in place to follow. If it had been a medical condition and drug that I knew nothing about, I would have really been in trouble.

Then I remembered something so simple. I have VIP benefits. I was so entrenched with the case that I simply forgot. Since then, I follow Module 8 in the Core, How to Research Medical-Related Cases. The template is there to guide me. I also use the community website with the Internet links and the authoritative texts.

The best VIP benefit of all, the CLNC^® Mentors have been excellent and I have taken full advantage of this resource. However, one mentor did me a big favor. I had a question just like those mentioned in blog – a question that I could have answered on my own by going to the Core, the community website or a simple Google to find. When she called me, there was kind reproof in her voice as she Googled while on the phone with me and then she emailed the Googled pages to me while we were still speaking. I was embarrassed that I had wasted her time and I thought, “How did she do that so fast?” But this motivated me to spend a few minutes to research my question first and to learn how to research.

Doing research was my weakest point. After a couple of cases I could see that I needed help. My local library gave computer classes for free. I contacted the National Network Libraries of Medicine, Midcontinental Region and ordered a tutorial titled, Search Strategies. There is also a Dummies book for everything so I ordered Researching Online for Dummies.

I gave an inservice last week to an attorney’s office about research strategies. Who would have thought? There is nothing like educating an attorney about something that he or she did not know.

One website that I find very useful for all kinds of medical research is cdc.gov. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This site contains a wealth of information and is authoritative. For instance, the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) has all sort of statistics and guidelines about disease and injury.

I recently accessed it to find guidelines about transporting injured children to trauma centers. You can look in the “Diseases and Conditions” area for information that goes beyond mere definitions and explanations. For instance, I needed to find out about Asperger’s Syndrome. I got articles about the criteria for diagnosis, treatments, prevalence and the like. Attorneys like this information because it is provided by the foremost experts in the field. I feel confident about the content of this site, which is sponsored by the government.

I had six years of nursing experience when I started consulting with attorneys. I recommend that RNs have at least three years of experience working in a clinical environment. However, you are most welcome to participate in the CLNC^® Certification Program now and subcontract with other CLNC^® consultants. The program addresses how you can work with other CLNC^® consultants to fill any gaps in your nursing experience.

Hi Vickie,

I am wondering how much experience a registered nurse should have before taking your course and becoming a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Could this be a good road to take as a new grad?

Thanks!