Are You Feeling Independent on this Independence Day?

Nothing is more threatening to your independence than a state of fear. Fear of the unknown can cause you to cling to an RN job at the hospital that you haven’t loved for quite some time. If fear is holding you back from becoming a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant let these three CLNC^® Pros guide you as they share how they overcame their fears of stepping out from their RN jobs to become Certified Legal Nurse Consultants.

“Deciding to change the direction of my nursing career came from a place of feeling overwhelmed by negativity. My RN job work environment was negative and my community was negative. It was oppressive and I felt it all bearing down on me resulting in anxiety and depression.

I spent several months trying to decide how I could change the direction of my life instead of just surviving and an Internet search took me to LegalNurse.com’s website. I read about what a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant was and how to become certified. At that moment I was inspired to change the direction of my nursing career and my life. The excitement was similar to what I felt when I graduated from nursing school. I was so happy to see that feeling return!

Every medical-related case I consult on gives me a feeling of purpose and excitement. I said goodbye to the negatives surrounding me and now start each day knowing that I’m in control. I begin each day by saying aloud one positive thing. Soon being positive is natural. I also tapped into the support of my family. Let your family feed you and support you through the day.”

– Becky Jones, MSN, CNM, CLNC

“I figured there was nowhere else to go but up. The first thing I did was buy a power suit and a nice briefcase. I knew if I looked the part then I would feel the part. A power suit is like a Superhero costume with built in armor. You can appear fearless by dressing the part.

Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You should be proud of the knowledge and experience you possess as an RN. Attorneys don’t really know what they don’t know about a case until you tell them. That’s where becoming a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant comes in.

Always be open to learning new things. It’s good to put yourself out there and feel your heart pounding with excitement. And most important of all have fun!”

– Millie Mannion, RN, BSN, CNOR, CLNC

“When I decided to become a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, I was working as a staff RN in a cosmetic surgery office. The pay was demeaning, the hours were long and I was desperate for something else. To take the final leap to consulting full time, I compared my hourly hospital wage to my hourly consulting fee. It once seemed impossible to replace my steady income with billable hours until I realized that I only needed to bill 10 hours per week to replace my hospital wage! As my CLNC business increased, I realized that I was losing money by working at the hospital.

I’m the type of RN who always takes on extra duties – extra shifts, leadership positions and committee activities. This time was different. I knew I had to stay focused on my CLNC business.

I calendared all the hours and days when I could market to attorneys and work on cases. This showed me just how do-able succeeding as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant was! Instead of feeling overwhelmed at the thought of building a legal nurse consulting business while working a full time RN job, I saw just how much time I really had available. And this was while I also had two kids in middle and high school. My calendar forced me to go to work on my days away from the hospital, and made it very easy to turn down those extra duties because I was focused on my legal nurse consulting business.”

– Susan Schaab, RN, BSN, CLNC

Thanks to Certified Legal Nurse Consultants Becky, Millie and Susan for sharing how they overcame their fears of stepping out to become a CLNC consultant. How about you? Are you feeling independent on this Independence Day?

Success Is Yours!

P.S. Comment and share if fear is holding you back from becoming a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant.