My five-year-old identical twins are the reason I became a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant – both have cerebral palsy and asthma.
My CLNC® Career Gave Me a New Life for Myself and My Twins
by Lisa Panish, RN, MSN, ARNP-BC, CLNC
“I love you one million peanut butter cups. That’s a lot of love.” My twin boys and I repeat that to each other every night before we go to bed. I know I’m lucky. What do you say about the most important people in your life? My five-year-old identical twins are the reason I became a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant – both have cerebral palsy and asthma.
I have been a single mom since my sons were 15 months old. As a healthcare provider, I have been blessed with opportunities that many others have not. I’ve been a nurse practitioner for almost ten years, and I have a wonderful job and colleagues. However, I was missing opportunities and therapies with my children. Sometimes I don’t want to blink, because I don’t want to miss anything in their lives.
As fulfilled and busy as my life is, my parents encouraged me to challenge myself more and try another opportunity. I learned about becoming a CLNC® consultant from my mother’s nursing college roommate, who reported finding success and versatility in her new CLNC career. Immediately after that conversation, the LegalNurse.com information packet arrived in my mailbox.
My parents and I discussed the opportunity to work from home, enjoy a flexible schedule and use my nursing skills in a different way. My parents are so helpful, but they want to enjoy their retirement. The more we heard about the LegalNurse.com CLNC Certification Program, the more we all agreed that it was a good investment.
Within 3 Months of Becoming a CLNC® Consultant, I Had 3 Attorney-Clients
I completed the CLNC Certification Program, and every minute was invaluable. The wealth of information fascinated me, and I knew I had found a nursing profession I could excel in and enjoy.
I was full of motivation and ready to get started, but the responsibilities of a full-time job and sick children took priority. My friends knew I had taken the Institute’s program and were excited for me. One girlfriend called to tell me that her neighbor, an attorney, was looking for a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant to do some work for him.
And so my CLNC career began. It all happened so quickly. My first case was the scariest, and I kept thinking, “Fake it till you make it.” How many times did I hear that?
After that first case, my CLNC colleagues began calling me when they were overloaded. I completed two more cases, and within three months I had three attorney-clients. My attorney-clients now refer me to their attorney colleagues – last week I received a call from a defense attorney.
The learning curve has been huge, and the social atmosphere in the legal world is different from that in the hospitals, nursing homes and office practices where I have worked. On every case I am able to give the nursing perspective and add my personal experience as a nurse practitioner to strengthen the case. I look forward to challenging myself with other CLNC opportunities and becoming more versatile. I want attorneys to see me as an asset and call on me because of my outstanding reputation in my new career.
With the money I have made so far as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, I have been able to replace the tile and carpet throughout my home with hardwood floors. This change has made a difference in my boys’ asthma and their mobility. I have wanted to change the flooring since I moved in four years ago, but was never able to afford it until I became a CLNC consultant.
I cannot thank LegalNurse.com enough for changing not only my life as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, but also the lives of my special boys.
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