CLNC® Success Story: CLNC Consultant Lisa Ortega Shares How She Obtained 100 Cases from Attorneys

Vickie: I’d like to introduce you to Lisa Ortega, RN, DNP, CLNC.  Lisa thank you so much for joining me here today. The first thing I’m curious about Lisa is what got you interested and motivated to become a legal nurse consultant?

Lisa: At one point in my career I had found myself overseeing multiple areas of ambulatory care and thought, “Okay, I’m running six different businesses for one company” and I had to really learn how to do that, because as a nurse I wasn’t prepared for the business piece of the ambulatory care setting that I found myself in. So I thought, “If I’m working so hard for a company, why can’t I work so hard for myself and do something that I find meaning in?”

Vickie: One of the things that you said that really gets my attention is how you were able to adapt to something new that you didn’t have experience with. That’s such an important success trait – that ability to take on something new, when you’re not trained to do it. This demonstrates one of the important characteristics for being successful as a CLNC consultant. Out of the gate you hit on one that is pretty important. But I’m sure you still had some fears in getting started as a CLNC consultant. How did you overcome those fears?

Lisa: There’s fear with everything that’s new. I think within myself, I’ve always pushed myself to learn and grow, and I very much believe that when you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, that’s the biggest opportunity to succeed and help yourself grow. It’s uncomfortable, but if you keep going you get stronger and then it becomes fun.

Vickie: It’s one of the things I’ve taught in the CLNC Certification Program – to try and live closer to a zone of discomfort than a zone of comfort. Business success is definitely about growth and that’s how we grow, by becoming somewhat uncomfortable. I understand that you’ve worked on more than a hundred cases, so first of all congratulations. What personal success traits would you say have contributed to your success in getting the cases and keeping these clients that you’re doing business with?

Lisa: Whether it was in my nursing career or becoming a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, whenever somebody asked me to do something I said Yes. My quote has always been to say Yes and figure out how to do it afterwards. So, while you send yourself down the path you think you’re going to travel, other things might fall within that path. I’ve taken every opportunity along the way. When I first finished the CLNC Certification Program, I thought I would just do consulting. It’s easy to do the background work and not push yourself, but the first case that came to me was actually to be an expert witness. And I thought, “You know what, I do know what they’re asking me based on the standard of care, so let me just give it a shot and see what happens.” The attorneys coached me along the way throughout the whole process. Through that, and learning how to work with them (being easy to work with and flexible), they have come back to me time and time again.

Vickie: You shared with me that legal nurse consulting is so much more than you thought it would be. Can you expand?

Lisa: At first when I took the LegalNurse.com Program I thought, “Okay, it’s just helping attorneys with their cases.” But I think that when you put together your nursing practice and the law and everything that you learn and the different cases that you encounter, the opportunities really become endless. Now I can see consulting for companies or consulting to write policies and procedures that help protect companies, and it all ends up falling together in one way or another. The companies and the attorneys really value everything you bring to the table. It’s not that you’re just a nurse, but it’s all your experiences that come together.

Vickie: You’ve definitely got a mind that works, not only in a very analytical way, but it sounds like a very creative way. It looks like you’re constantly seeking to expand. You have a definite mindset for success. You also described that you use the CLNC Certification Program to help you with a step-by-step approach. How did that make a difference for you?

Lisa: It’s scary when you’re going to build your own business. As a nurse, you know how to take care of patients at a bedside, but most nurses in a bedside or hospital setting have never done the business aspect of building a business and having to learn about contracts, finances and all of that, but LegalNurse.com’s Program really took you step-by-step on how to build your USP to deliver a clear message, how to contract, what subcontracting is and how to do it well and other areas to focus on. So it’s really cookie cutter on what to put in place to get started.

Vickie: Thank you, and I do think the company, LegalNurse.com is committed to your success, not just within the CLNC Certification Program itself, but even beyond the program. What do you love most about your business?

Lisa: I love the freedom and the creativity; every day is different. When I’m reviewing a case, and they’re very exciting to get into, sometimes you’re finding things that the attorneys aren’t even anticipating. So it’s a good feeling of success within yourself when you can help them. I love going to the defense medical exams or IMEs (independent medical exams) because you get to meet the clients. You still get to interact with the patient population that you have at the bedside, so I really just look for every opportunity to learn and grow and recreate what nursing and the field of nursing is to me.

Vickie: I love that, “Recreate what nursing is to you.” That’s a great expression. How would you say that owning your business has changed you or even changed your life?

Lisa: Because I’m an expert witness, I find myself still working in the clinical setting. And while I really wanted to let that go, I don’t think it’s something that I will do. There’s definitely a transition to lean more into my business. I love the feeling of success and that I own my business. I get to watch it grow, I get to build all these relationships that were scary to me in the beginning. And now I get to step out, experience it and be valued for my knowledge, what I know and what I’ve experienced.

Vickie: Because you’re testifying you’re still doing some clinical work, so you have experience both working inside the healthcare system and working independently with these attorneys. What  would be one or two differences working inside the healthcare system and being your own independent business owner?

Lisa: The biggest thing in the healthcare setting is that you follow this hierarchy, and you are responsible for patient care, but you’re also answering to everybody else. You don’t necessarily feel valued the way that you do as a legal nurse consultant when you’re working for attorneys. While they were intimidating to me in the beginning, as I’ve gotten to know the attorneys, I know what they don’t know and why they need me. Then I’ve learned to incorporate what I’ve learned along the way as far as preparation and preparing for cases to teach the attorneys, which really builds a partnership that you don’t necessarily have in the clinical setting.

Vickie: Are they good listeners these attorneys?

Lisa: They are and they aren’t. It’s a work in progress all the time, but it makes it fun.

Vickie: Lisa, what is your definition of success?

Lisa: My definition of success is to keep going, to keep building and to push myself beyond my comfort zone every day. I do keep building on my cases and my experience and ultimately see my business grow.

Vickie: Thank you so much Lisa. I really appreciate you sharing a little bit about your success with me and other Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. Truly it’s RNs like you who really inspire me.

Lisa: Thank you for having me.

P.S. Comment here to congratulate Lisa on her CLNC Success.

P.P.S. Read more CLNC Success Stories and send your CLNC Success Story to [email protected].