High School

In high school, take mathematics and science courses, including biology, chemistry, and physics. Health courses will also be helpful. English and speech courses should not be neglected because you must be able to communicate well with lawyers and other legal professionals. Business and accounting classes will provide you with the basic tools necessary to run a business.

Postsecondary Training 

Legal nurse consultants must first become registered nurses. All legal nurse consultants must have clinical nursing experience to draw on in order to present cases and testify. They must also have up-to-date medical knowledge.

Legal nurse consultants should have work experience in critical care areas such as hospital emergency rooms, intensive care units, and obstetrics, since these are the areas that are most likely to be involved in litigation. Legal education is not a prerequisite, although many legal nurse consultants acquire knowledge of the legal system by consulting with attorneys, taking classes or completing a paralegal education program, and attending seminars.

A few colleges (such as Bergen Community College, Kent State University, and Madonna University) offer associate degrees and advanced certificates in legal consulting or related fields.

Many independent legal nurse consultants are practicing nurses. It is important for legal nurse consultants to stay abreast of changes in the medical field. They need to actively practice nursing or take continuing education courses to stay current. They must be able to apply their knowledge and evaluate medical issues in litigation.

The American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants offers an online course for aspiring legal nurse consultants. Visit http://www.aalnc.org/page/legal-nurse-consulting-professional-course for more information.

Other Education or Training

The American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants offers webinars and other continuing education opportunities to legal nurse consultants. Recent courses included So You Want to Be an LNC? The Real World: Fact or Fiction, Persuasive Writing for the Legal Nurse Consultant, Workers’ Compensation, Risk Management, and Toxic Torts.

Certification or Licensing

The legal nurse consultant certified (LNCC) program is the only certification in legal nurse consulting recognized by the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants. Administered by the American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board, it is the only legal nurse consulting certification approved by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC). The LNCC program promotes the recognition of experience and knowledge of the legal nurse consulting specialty practice of nursing. The certification, which is voluntary, is renewed every five years through continuing education or reexamination and continued practice in the specialty.

You must pass a licensing exam to become a nurse. Licensing is required in all 50 states, and license renewal or continuing education credits are also required periodically. In some cases, licensing in one state will automatically grant licensing in reciprocal states. For more information, contact your state's nursing board. (See the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Web site at https://www.ncsbn.org/index.htm for contact information.)

Clinical nursing experience and up-to-date medical knowledge are needed to enter the field of legal nurse consulting.

To be a successful legal nurse consultant, you should enjoy organizing information and writing reports, be able to explain medical issues and procedures to people with nonmedical backgrounds, and be skilled to handle multiple tasks under deadline pressure. You should also have strong reasoning skills, self-motivation, and the ability to work well with many types of people.

If you also practice as a nurse, you should enjoy working with people and be able to give directions as well as follow instructions and work as part of a health care team. Anyone interested in becoming a registered nurse should also have a strong desire to continue learning because new tests, procedures, and technologies are constantly being developed in the health care field.