How often in your legal nurse consulting business have you had a client, either a medical malpractice or personal injury attorney, who needed the report yesterday? If you’re like me, one time is one time too many. In the legal nurse consulting business a “yesterday” deadline is no fun for you, and it’s not good for the attorney either.
All Certified Legal Nurse Consultants perform better when given adequate time to think through a case. Your best ideas on that medical malpractice or personal injury case will come when you are not at your computer feeling pressured by a looming deadline.
Sure, the attorney is going to set deadlines and so should you. Your role as a CLNC® consultant includes educating every attorney-client about the benefits of getting the case to you as soon as the attorney gets it. Just like the attorney wants time to digest your report, you will want time to digest the medical records and draft the report the right way. The best outcome for all involved (and for your sanity) depends on both parties respecting deadlines.
I’m Just Sayin’
P.S. Comment here to share how you give your attorney-clients deadlines.
I have found it is best to keep the flow of a case report going constantly when the report has no deadline (that I know of). My thinking is they do have an idea of when they really want the report in their hands even though they say, “We have plenty of time to get it done.” How do you measure “plenty of time”? Plenty of time is a gray area that could be a real concern if the attorney changes his mind and wants it now as of yesterday. Especially, if you have not done any work on the case at all!