A Day in the Life of Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Michelle Neal

For example, the other day I had a small nursing home fall case I focused on without any distractions. My commitment that day was to that case, and I was able to start and finish a brief narrative report within five hours. The following day, I had the same goal in mind; I was committed to accomplish as much as possible on a new medical malpractice case. I had just completed my initial set-up for the case when an attorney called and wanted me to locate a testifying expert by the end of the day. Then a couple of hours later, another attorney called and wanted me to screen a case ASAP. A few hours after that, my kid’s school called saying my daughter was sick and I needed to pick her up right away. I had to reprioritize my day multiple times to accomplish these tasks.

Fortunately, my eight years in the emergency department (ED) taught me to handle an ever-changing environment. I am grateful for that background because it’s helped me to prioritize multiple tasks and distractions with ease. A hectic day as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant is not comparable to a hectic day in the ED. I prefer a chaotic day in my CLNC business over a 12-hour shift in the ED any day.

Most days, I work from my home office overlooking my pool and palm trees, which definitely beats the ED view. Occasionally, when I’m in a good position with my caseload, I pack up my work and bring it on the boat! One of my favorite things about being a CLNC consultant is I can work from anywhere and at any time. I never imagined I would find a career I absolutely love and could do it while overlooking Florida’s intercoastal.

(Me working on the boat)

As a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, I have worked solely as a consulting expert, assisting attorneys behind the scenes. I’ve worked on hundreds of medical-related cases involving medical malpractice, long term care and personal injury. I have also consulted on family law and criminal cases. I love the variety of cases I work on, and I learn something new every day. The most common CLNC services I provide include screening cases, writing detailed narrative reports and chronological timelines, drafting deposition questions, assisting with requests for production and locating testifying experts. I work behind the scenes from beginning to end on most cases. Regardless of the type of case, the initial review process is the same.

I love checking tasks off a list to feel accomplished. However, I have had to shift my mindset in my CLNC business because the list is never-ending, which I’m actually grateful for. It takes a lot of self-motivation, organization, commitment and drive to maintain the success I’ve built over the last eight years since becoming a CLNC consultant. At the end of every week I plan out my next week. I take out a good, old-fashioned paper planner and write down what I need to complete each day for the week. This helps me to prioritize my upcoming week and any potential unanticipated new case deadlines or unexpected events. I am always thinking ahead to ensure I meet or exceed all deadlines to provide a superb quality work-product for my attorney-clients.

I am committed to success. For me, that involves a multitude of things. I have three beautiful children which have been, and will always be, my main priority. They are part of the reason I ventured into a career as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. I also love outdoor adventures and traveling with my family. I am forever grateful for the CLNC Certification Program, as it has allowed me to achieve success in all aspects of life. You can’t beat the flexibility and autonomy of owning your own business as a Registered Nurse, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without obstacles to overcome, hard work and dedicated commitment.

(My family)

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