My typical day is about nursing, either at work in the emergency department or at my desk working as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant.
A Day in the Life of Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Carol Fridal
by Carol Fridal, MS, RN, CEN, CLNC
I’m an emergency nurse with 40 years’ experience and have been a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant for 11 years. I like my role as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant as much as I like my work as an emergency nurse.
I enjoy every day. I work 50% as an emergency nurse and 50% as a CLNC consultant because I have a deep-seated love for nursing. As a result, every day is different, which I really enjoy.
I had an attorney ask in a deposition recently, “Why are you a legal nurse consultant?” Emergency nursing is who and what I have become over the years. Legal nurse consulting affords me the opportunity to educate my attorney-clients so they accurately interpret and understand the patient’s journey. As an RN, I am the voice for the patient. It is up to the nurses to document the patient’s journey. I’ve heard nurses say, “I’m here to care for the patient and will chart when I have time.” That may have been the story at one time, but today’s healthcare system is so complex that the medical record is necessary to document the patient’s journey as to what and how events occurred.
While every day is different, every day is also the same because it’s about being the best I can be for patients. Either by caring for patients on their worst day in the emergency department (ED) or being their voice when they did not receive the emergency care they should have.
I focus on emergency medical malpractice cases, which range from an unplanned birth at home after an emergency room visit to a death in the ED. My primary role is to assess whether the nurses adhered to the emergency standards and whether deviations from the standards caused the alleged damage and injuries.
My typical day is about nursing, either at work in the emergency department or at my desk working as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. I love nursing and working with and for patients. Working with the attorneys is an additional positive and educational experience.
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