$100-$150 per hour...too good to be true? - page 3

by user9876

comments, information, personal experiences...anyone?... Read More

  1. 0
    Quote from rnpract
    I have to disagree sort of with a couple of people. I get $100.00 and hour to review medical records so the salary is not unrealistic for someone just starting out. Additionally while a course is not required it is strongly recomended. Most nurses understand nursing practice, but may not have a grasp of legal principles as they apply to malpractice. There are courses out there that you do not have to pay an arm and a leg for. The courses provide you with a foundation of the law and how to market yourself as an LNC. I think many will find the courses very useful.
    One can take paralegal classes at a local community college for a very reasonable cost. You can get to know the paralegals who work in law offices and make connections there.

    I went this route, and took:
    Torts, Legal Research, Legal Writing, Insurance Law, Administrative Law, Criminal Law, Environmental Law, Computers and E commerce, Evidence, Law of Business Organizations, Employment Law, Trial Prep I, II and III, Introduction to Law, and several others that I can't remember off the top of my head.

    They helped me understand the legal process, and lingo, and I know where the attorneys are coming from. Tests are structured like they are in law school. You are given a scenario, and you have to apply the law based on this information. We had to do legal research, and quote case law and statutes that supported your answers. Again, these classes can be had for a fraction of the cost of the overpriced classes being offered. I enjoyed these classes and highly recommend them to anyone.

    I attended Spokane Community College in the Paralegal/Legal Nurse Program. You can look them up on the Internet and check out the program yourself.

    Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
    Spokane, Washington
  2. 4
    I went through the Vickie Milazzo Instutute and received large amounts of useful information. The $100-$150 is realistic and appropriate. As RN1989 stated:

    [QUOTE]If you take a look at some attorneys fee schedules, you will find that they even bill out their paralegals, legal assistants, and law student interns in the $50-100 range. [/QUOTE]

    Why should you get paid at your hospital RN rate when you are in a specialized field of nursing?

    Why do we, as nurses, always downgrade our expertise and professionalism? It makes me angry.

    If you are a consulting expert, you can charge $100-$150 per hour. If you are a testifying expert, you can charge $150-$250 per hour. There is a difference with that.

    As far as the paralegal thing goes, if you take LNC courses and get certified, you do not need to get paralegal cert. Even if you are not LNC cert., you still don't need a paralegal cert.

    Here's why: you are a nurse - you have the expertise and the professionalism as a nurse. If you get certification to be a paralegal, that's all any lawyer is going to expect from you - not your nursing expertise. A lawyer will hire you as a paralegal and pay you as a paralegal when you should be getting paid $100-$150 per hour.

    Please, I hope I have not offended anyone, and if I have, I greatly apologize. But please, please, please, please, treat yourself like a professional that you are or no one else will.
    lindarn, Bluehair, KLKRN, and 1 other like this.
  3. 3
    I agree wholeheartedly with lecavalier4. The expertise of a paralegal is in the legal arena. The expertise of a legal nurse consultant is nursing. The paralegal can assist the attorney with the legal process - that's what they are trained to do. But only a nurse with a solid background in nursing can do what a legal nurse consultant can do - which is use their professional judgment and expertise in reviewing medical records and the situation involved, then rendering an informed, educated opinion about the medical and nursing issues in the case. We render an expert opinion regarding the medical care or other medical issues involved.
    Bluehair, RN1989, and lecavalier4 like this.
  4. 0
    Sorry KLKRN, I'm having a pm problem! And a paypal problem :imbar
  5. 0
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