The nursing specialty of legal nurse consulting has long been a growth opportunity for registered nurses looking to advance their careers and increase their income through legal nurse consultant jobs with attorneys.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and as the findings of the National Nurses’ Stress Survey have shown, nursing continues to be a dangerously stressful and unrealistic working environment while legal nurse consultant jobs have continued to grow as a top alternative career for registered nurses and a way for RNs to increase or supplement their existing RN job salaries.
If you are considering a career outside the hospital or looking for a way to creatively use your nursing experience part time, 2024 offers an outstanding opportunity for registered nurses to become legal nurse consultants.
Thank you for being my positive force toward my becoming a successful Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. I feel truly blessed by the enrichment in my life.
RN, BSH, CLCP, CLNC
California
Job Description
A legal nurse consultant is a registered nurse who combines expertise in nursing with specialized legal nurse consultant training to consult with attorneys, healthcare organizations, insurance companies and hospitals on a range of legal nurse consultant jobs. For a more in-depth description of the legal nurse consultant career, please click here.
Career Growth for Legal Nurse Consultants
Currently, there are more than 1,300,00 attorneys in the United States. With that number continuing to grow, the services of legal nurse consultants who have obtained legal nurse consultant certification will continue to see their services in high demand as new attorneys enter the legal field. Legal nurse consultants can consult with attorneys on a wide range of medical-related legal cases including but not limited to:
- Medical and Nursing Malpractice
- General Personal Injury
- Products Liability
- Workers’ Compensation and Workplace Injury
Click here for a full list of the Types of Cases handled by legal nurse consultants.
Salaries for Legal Nurse Consultant Jobs
Legal nurse consultants can earn up to $150/hr for their consulting expertise. These consulting fees vary based on the career path a consultant may choose, be it working for a legal nurse consultant firm, consulting with an insurance company or starting their own independent consulting business.
For some legal nurse consultants, starting and growing their own legal nurse consultant business has resulted in revenues of $140,000 and up. Below are four examples of registered nurses who have pursued careers as Certified Legal Nurse Consultants and their stories of earnings success:
For additional insight into the salary potential for legal nurse consultant jobs you can find a full list of Success Stories here.
Changes in Healthcare and Hospitals
Over the past several years, as healthcare has become more costly and the baby-boomer population has grown older, the strains on our healthcare system have increased dramatically. Hospitals, though gaining more revenue, are being forced to do more with less as noted by Modern Healthcare resulting in more stress, longer hours and less financial and career opportunities for registered nurses.
Comparatively, for those registered nurses seeking to advance their career outside the hospital, legal nurse consulting continues to expand. For example, as the demands in hospital performance have increased, this has resulted in a near epidemic level of medical malpractice cases, hurting both patients and those trying to help them. This alarming increase is an opportunity for registered nurses with a legal nurse consultant background to continue to help patients who have been harmed by these toxic conditions.
For more on legal nurse consultant jobs read:
- The First 12 Action Steps for Starting Your CLNC® Business
- 8 Reasons Attorneys Need RNs for Legal Nurse Consultant Jobs
- 10 Common Misconceptions About Legal Nurse Consultant Jobs
- 27 Nursing Specialties Attorneys Need for Legal Nurse Consultant Jobs
- 5 Simple Ways to Overcome Your Fears of Legal Nurse Consultant Job Interviews
- Number of Attorneys for Legal Nurse Consultant Jobs By State
