For nurses or paralegals who want to take on a new challenge, some of the best online nurse paralegal programs will open up a whole new world of opportunity. The difference between a nurse paralegal vs legal nurse consultant comes down to education and experience. A nurse paralegal is a nurse who went to school to train as a paralegal, while a legal nurse consultant is someone who may have some legal education and works in the legal profession, but has worked primarily as a nurse.
Nurse paralegal and legal nurse consultant jobs are plentiful, but it’s worth noting that it’s a niche area of the legal industry. Legal nurse consultants may find themselves working on a contract basis while maintaining their job in nursing. Nurse paralegal jobs are more plentiful due to the paralegal aspect of the position that makes the nurse paralegal a law firm role. A nurse paralegal job is more likely to be a part- or full-time position working in a legal environment than is a legal nurse consultant job.
Ranking the Best Legal Nurse Consultant Programs Online
To rank the best legal nurse consultant programs for paralegals and nurses, Online Paralegal Programs editors selected online programs from accredited, trusted sources. Programs are ranked by the reputation, cost, and salary potential of the institutions.
1. Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University offers the best legal nurse consultant programs online for students who want to work in the legal field as well as the medical. Students are taught many different skills that allow them to act as a medical consultant during legal proceedings. Certificate programs can be earned over an online format which allows them to continue working full-time. With an online Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate, students can take advantage of new employment opportunities within the legal field.
Florida Atlantic University is known for its advanced degree programs and easy to use online format. Being able to study online allows students to make the most out of their education while still working in the nursing field. They have access to experienced faculty members and university resources that provide them with the necessary expertise to act as a consultant. Graduates can earn their certificate and begin consulting in a relatively short period of time.
Program: Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate
Format: Online
2. University of Georgia
The University of Georgia offers the best legal nurse consultant programs online for students who prefer to study at home. The consultant program offers students the credentials and training they need to work in the legal field and assist with determining the outcome of different types of cases. Earning a Legal Nurse Consultant Training Course certification online gives the student an opportunity to advance their career and offer their expertise to attorneys and lawyers who need it.
The University of Georgia is one of the most advanced schools of higher learning in the southeastern United States. The degree and certificate programs offered by the university meet the standards set forth by both the legal and medical fields. Once the graduate has earned their certificate online, they can begin to work with attorneys as a professional consultant in addition to maintaining their current career as a nurse in the healthcare field.
Program: Legal Nurse Consultant Training Course
Format: Online
3. University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside provides one of the best legal nurse consultant programs online on the west coast. Students learn all of the necessary skills and tools that will allow them to act as legal consultants in an online format. With a Legal Nurse, Professional Consultant Certificate learned in an online format, the nurse can continue to pursue their career while exploring alternatives in the legal field. Earning a certificate will add the credentials they need to be considered a credible witness.
The University of California, Riverside gives students the best possible educational resources over an online format. Students can use the advanced curriculum to move forward as a consultant in the legal field. Faculty members are able to assist nurses in finding the right career opportunities that will allow them to become successful consultants. Graduates are able to enjoy new challenges and take on new responsibilities that allow them to move forward in their careers.
Program: Legal Nurse Consulting Professional Certificate
Format: Online
4. Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University offers the best legal nurse consultant programs online for nurses who are interested in becoming a consultant to attorneys and other legal professionals. Nurses who take this online certificate program learn the skills that are necessary to become professional and reliable consultants. Professional nurses are able to consult in a variety of ways, such as through court appearances, depositions, and affidavits. With an online Legal Nurse Consulting program, the nurse can become a successful consultant.
Wake Forest University is one of the most reputable schools of higher learning in terms of both legal and medical degree programs. Nurses have access to both valuable curriculums as well as faculty members with many years of viable experience. By utilizing these resources, nurses can successfully consult in a variety of legal proceedings. By learning online, nurse is able to pursue both occupations during their time in school.
Program: Legal Nurse Consulting
Format: Online
5. East Carolina University
East Carolina University offers the best legal nurse consultant programs online for nurses who want to pursue a career as a legal consultant. Nurses gain the advantage by being able to pursue their education online. They are able to receive the training they need to successfully work as a professional consultant to attorneys and others working in the legal field. By enrolling in an online Nurse Consultant Training Course, the nurse will have everything they need to provide assistance to legal professionals.
East Carolina University is one of the leaders in their field when it comes to consulting between the legal and medical fields. Nurses can rely on the expertise offered by the faculty members and staff. They also have access to a wide variety of resources that can be beneficial in helping them gain the experience they need to be an effective consultant. After graduation, the nurse can begin to accept jobs as a consultant and further expand their professional horizons.
Program: Nurse Consultant Training Course
Format: Online
6. North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University provides nurses with the best legal nurse consultant programs online. By learning online, they can begin to work in the legal field much earlier than if they had simply tried to enter the field on their own. The training course will give the nurse the necessary skills they need to be considered both credible and professional. By earning an online Legal Nurse Consultant Training program, the nurse will gain an advantage to succeed in their new endeavor.
North Carolina State University is one of the most well-respected universities in the area when it comes to online learning. The university’s training program is one of the best in the area. With the help of the professional faculty members, nurses are able to take on new challenges and explore new opportunities as soon as they become available. As a professional consultant, nurses are able to work in both the legal and medical fields and be successful in each one.
Program: Legal Nurse Consultant Training
Format: Online
7. Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University offers many of the best legal nurse consultant programs online for nurses who want to enter into the legal field. Working in an online format will allow the student to gain the skills they need while they are still working as a nurse. In addition to the convenience of being able to learn online, the nurse can learn additional skills that will make them a competent and valued consultants. Earning an online Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate provides the nurse with valuable credentials they will need when working within the legal field.
Louisiana State University has a long-standing reputation for offering state of the art technology as well as an advanced degree and certification programs that allow nurses to take on new and interesting challenges. Completing a certification program online makes it possible for nurses to continue working in the healthcare field while they begin to offer their consulting services to members of the legal field.
Program: Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate
Format: Online
8. University of Arizona
The University of Arizona offers the best legal nurse consultant programs online to nurses who are interested in pursuing a career as a professional consultant in legal proceedings. The skills they learn through the online training course allow them to be both effective and credible when offering testimony or advice. An online Legal Nurse Consultant Training Course provides a nurse with the confidence to pursue her career goals in both the medical and legal fields.
The University of Arizona’s degree and certification programs are some of the best in the country. Faculty members offer both information and skills based on years of experience in their career fields. The online programs offered by the school allow students to advance at their own pace and make the most of their learning experience. Nurses who choose to pursue this type of consultant training program can feel confident in their ability to provide accurate and reliable testimony.
Program: Legal Nurse Consultant Training Course
Format: Online
9. University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama provides the best legal nurse consultant programs online to nurses who have an opportunity to pursue a position as a legal consultant. The consultant certificate offers skills and techniques that are valuable to nurses who are trying to provide assistance to attorneys and other legal professionals. With an online Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate, nurses can utilize what they learn and become a valuable asset to both medical and legal fields.
The University of South Alabama offers advanced certification programs that allow nurses to gain an advantage when trying to further their careers. Experienced faculty members offer sound advice that nurses can use as they begin to follow their new career path. In addition to the guidance from the faculty and the resources provided by the school, nurses can pursue a consultant’s position with confidence. They can establish a dual career in both fields.
Program: Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate
Format: Online
10. Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University gives nurses the best legal nurse consultant programs online. The university’s training courses offer the skills that a nurse will need to have in order to be effective as a professional consultant in many legal proceedings. Nurses who want to pursue a career as a legal consultant can enroll in an online Legal Nurse Consultant Training Course and advance their careers while maintaining their original work schedule.
Mississippi State University offers the most advanced and technologically sound online degree and certificate programs available in the southern states. Even with an online platform, faculty members are easily accessible so that nurses can work through any challenges they face as they move forward with their education and career goals. After receiving their certification, nurses will have the tools and resources they need to be a valuable asset to any court proceeding, deposition, or other legal proceedings in which they participate in.
Program: Legal Nurse Consultant Training Course
Format: Online
What is the Difference Between a Nurse Paralegal and a Legal Nurse Consultant?
Both roles both require education and experience as a nurse, but the nurse paralegal role requires earning at least a paralegal certificate. The legal nurse consultant may need some formal legal education in the form of a medical-legal class but otherwise does not need to earn a paralegal certificate or degree.
So, just what is a nurse paralegal and what do they do? The nurse paralegal is someone who works in a law firm and focuses on healthcare-related cases. Their medical expertise is valuable for a law firm that works in the area of defective medical products, devices, and drugs, medical malpractice and negligence, and any other type of civil lawsuit that involves the medical industry. The work of a nurse paralegal involves going over the medical records of the client, gaining an understanding of the events that led to the need for a lawsuit, and interpreting medical language into legal language. A nurse paralegal also draws up legal paperwork that contains the necessary medical information and communicates with the medical professionals involved in the lawsuit.
A legal nurse consultant (LNC) has a similar role to that of the nurse paralegal, but the scope of their work is limited to that of interpreting medical information on behalf of an attorney, law firm, hospital, clinic, insurance company, or any employer who has a need to employ a legal nurse consultant. LNCs work with staff attorneys on medical malpractice claims, educate staff on the legalities of their duties, look at claims of medical malpractice, and work as case managers.
How Much Can I Make as an LNC or Nurse Paralegal?
The BLS doesn’t have a distinct category for a nurse paralegal salary or a legal nurse consultant salary, but either of these roles can expect to start at the median salary for each category. A paralegal’s salary averages $51,740 per year and a registered nurse’s average $73,300 per year. Nurses who become attorneys can expect to earn a nurse attorney salary of $80,699 per year.
The average legal nurse consultant salary and nurse paralegal salary may be higher on average due to the specialized nature of the role. Someone who brings medical skills and knowledge to a legal role is someone with an unusual, but desirable, a combination of skills. The average legal nurse consultant salary and nurse paralegal salary may be higher than the average for either of these roles due to the ability to bring medical knowledge to a legal job. Other employers who are in need of individuals with these skills may be willing to pay more in order to have someone who can bridge the gap between medical and legal languages and understanding.
Are There Lots of Jobs for LNCs and Nurse Paralegals?
Legal nurse consultants have a broad career path in terms of the jobs available to them. Their core function is to take complex medical terminology and translate it into a document that’s readable by attorneys. An LNC reviews the medical documents provided to them by a lawyer, compares the information against the client’s testimony and/or medical outcome, and determines if what is in the medical documents is in alignment with the client’s outcome. Multiple employment fields hire legal nurse consultants to help manage a variety of risk factors. An LNC can also work as an independent consultant for law firms and set their own working hours.
Finding a nurse paralegal job is ideal for a nurse who wants to transition out of nursing and into the medical-legal field. Skills learned as a paralegal allow the nurse paralegal to find a nurse paralegal job or as a general paralegal until an opportunity to work as a nurse paralegal arises. There are more opportunities to work as a nurse paralegal than there are for an LNC, but both roles benefit from the fact that there are three large generations that are more likely to experience medical malpractice or negligence in some form. The outlook for employment as a nurse paralegal is good, and a nurse paralegal benefits from being skilled in two types of roles that are always in need of qualified people.
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