LNCtips.com: LNC Job Search

It's not as easy to find a Legal Nurse Consulting position as it is to find a position as an RN in a hospital. If you're looking for a position, you need to actively seek out LNC opportunities. The foundation of a successful job search includes the following:

Decide whether you want to work as an in-house LNC, an independent LNC, or an expert LNC and focus on getting that particular type of work. Of course, it's possible to work in more than one area but it's easier to concentrate your job search if you can narrow it down. Read more about job sources.

Write a resume or CV that's specifically tailored to the type of legal nurse consultant position that you want. For example, expert legal nurse consultants might want to emphasize their depth and years of experience in one particular field to imply expertise. Independent and in-house legal nurse consultants might want to emphasize the breadth of their nursing and LNC experiences to imply the ability to review cases for a variety of patient populations. Whether you write a resume or a CV depends on what kind of LNC position you aspire to - expert, in-house, or independent. Although many LNCs use the terms interchangeably, resumes and CVs are quite different. Experts use a CV (Curriculum Vitae, Latin for "course of life") while LNCs looking for in-house positions use a resume (French for "summary"). Independent LNCs can use either a CV or resume although some may argue that a resume is more appropriate.

Target specific firms and find out as much about them as possible. Just about every organization has a website that can be researched. If you're targeting law firms, Martindale is an invaluable resource to learn more about those firms and their specific attorneys.

Develop a portfolio of work product samples if you are seeking an independent or in-house position. If you have no experience, be honest about your inexperience but also use the portfolio to demonstrate the type of work that you are capable of producing. See the sections on this website about creating a portfolio and LNC Skills to see samples to give you ideas for your portfolio and tips on ways to create your own samples.

Take stock of your affiliations. What new contacts should you add to your network? You will want to add specific types of attorneys to your network but remember that lawyers may not be your only potential clients. Consider joining AALNC and your local chapter to gain valuable contacts and leads.

Update your skills. Particularly if you plan to work as an in-house or independent legal nurse consultant, there are non-nursing skills that you will need in order to be competitive with established LNCs. See in-house desirable traits

...Katy Jones