The quickest way to grow your legal nurse consulting business is to expand with CLNC® subcontractors. Check out these Best Practices and how the CLNC® Pros are using them to expand their CLNC® business in sensational ways.
- Hire only Certified Legal Nurse Consultant subcontractors. This will save you time and heartache in the long run. Through the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants, you’ll find plenty of qualified CLNC® consultants who can help you manage your cases. Working only with other CLNC® consultants is the key to sensational subcontracting and the strongest method for building your CLNC® business.
Suzanne E. Arragg, RN, BSN, CDONA/LTC, CLNC says,
“I am a firm believer in using only CLNC® subcontractors. In the beginning, I tried using non-Certified Legal Nurse Consultants because I thought, ‘Gee, she is a good nurse… she knows what she’s doing.’ But the reality was, I ended up reviewing the chart and writing the report all over again because it just wasn’t a product that met my standards or those of my attorney-client. Needless to say, this was exhausting, double the work, and just wasn’t worth my time, energy or money!”
Dale Barnes, RN, MSN, PHN, CLNC shares,
“Many years ago, as a new CLNC® consultant, I learned my first lesson about subcontracting. I knew so many RNs and thought I could use them as subcontractors. I found a couple of really good nurses who wanted to learn from working with me. Though I showed them reports I had written and clearly explained what I needed from them for the work product, they still lacked the CLNC® training I had received as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant from Vickie Milazzo Institute.
These RNs wrote their reports and gave them back to me. To my great disappointment, I found that I had to rewrite most of what they gave me. These were not billable hours. Due to their lack of formal training, they were not capable of producing the same level of work product. I wasted a lot of time and energy, and have only used Certified Legal Nurse Consultants since that time.”
Lawrence H. Frace, RN, CLNC recommends,
“Only use Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. I repeat… only use Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. I decided that since I was going to use subcontractors and had the agreement ready to go, why not start with nine CLNC® subcontractors and cover the nine major areas of nursing. I chose CLNC® consultants who had experience in long term care, emergency room, medical/surgical, neonatal, obstetrics, operation room, pediatrics, critical care, outpatient care and mental health. I had always feared that an attorney might offer me a case in which I lacked nursing experience. Now with nine hand-picked CLNC® subcontractors in place, I feel confident that I can accept any case offered. No more fear for Larry, thanks to my CLNC® subcontractors.
I had networked at prior NACLNC® Conferences and from that networking, already had most of the names I needed to get started. I also accessed the listing of CLNC® consultants from the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. The reason that I stress using only Certified Legal Nurse Consultants as subcontractors is because it’s smart to bring a team together who are all singing off the same page from the get go. We were all trained by the best – Vickie Milazzo Institute – why settle for anything less?”
- Build your CLNC® subcontractor network in advance of needing each one. This allows you to respond timely to the attorneys’ deadlines on cases outside of your specialty. The best way to find subcontractors is by networking at the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (NACLNC®) Annual Conference and with the NACLNC® members on our password-protected website. The online directory is an exclusive benefit for CLNC® consultants only.
Nikki J. Chuml, RNC, FMC, PRN, CLNC explains,
“I subcontract my cases only to other Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. I like to search from the cards that I receive at the NACLNC® Conferences or look in the NACLNC® Directory for someone who meets the criteria.”
- Don’t become dependent on just one or two subcontractors. Continue to expand your CLNC® subcontractor network. This frees you to meet tight deadlines or to let go of someone who is not the right match for you.
- Hire CLNC® subcontractors who live outside your geographical area. This will help to avoid any competitive attitude between you and your CLNC® subcontractors. Avoid networking with local groups who may mean well, but are more interested in competing with you than helping you.
- Look for a CLNC® subcontractor who has three to five years of experience in the nursing specialty of the case and who is still connected to the healthcare system. This assures you’re subcontracting with a true expert on the issues.
Nikki J. Chuml says,
“I will contact the CLNC® consultant and do a phone interview. Once I like how the telephone interview goes, then I will tell them a little about the case and see if their experience fits the case. After the agreement has been made, I will send the CLNC® subcontractor an agreement to sign.”
- Require all subcontractors to provide a resume and to produce some sample work product before you hire them. Assess the samples to be sure all work product is consistent and represents the same level of quality you provide to your attorney-clients.
Success Is Inside!
| P.S. | Comment and share your Best Practices for CLNC® subcontracting. |
| P.P.S. | Be sure to return on February 12 for Part 2 of Best Practices for Sensational Subcontracting with CLNC® Consultants. |
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