Certificate in Legal Nurse Consulting

A legal nurse consultant (LNC) is a licensed registered nurse who combines clinical, administrative and medical expertise with legal knowledge. LNCs are trained to serve as liaisons between legal and health care professions. The LNC, through nursing preparation and experience, assists attorneys in numerous ways, such as interpretation of medical records and medical issues and by offering insight into compliance with standards of care and whether any alleged wrongful act is related to claimed injuries and damages.

To address the growing popularity for LNCs within law firms and law enforcement agencies, the Certificate in Legal Nurse Consulting at UCR Extension offers a challenging program of study to registered nurses. Course topics address LNC standards of practice, fundamentals of the law, the litigation process, report writing, ethics and testimony skills. Students are cautioned regarding restrictions against the unauthorized practice of law by non-lawyers.

Most LNCs are principals in private practice. Other employment opportunities include law firms specializing in personal injury, medical malpractice, toxic torts, product liability and workers' compensation, insurance companies, hospitals and other health care providers, government agencies, and risk management organizations.

Objectives
Upon completion of the Certificate, participants are prepared to:

• Review, analyze and interpret medical records and related medical documents and prepare reports succinctly summarizing that information.
• Act as a consultant on health care issues to attorneys in diverse legal settings.
• Identify standard of care issues and relationship to claimed injuries and damages.
• Develop and build a practice as an independent consultant and nursing expert witness.

Special Credit
All courses provide California Board of Registered Nursing continuing education credit. UCR Extension is an accredited provider.