JCCC prepares registered nurses to become legal nurse consultants. A legal nurse consultant (LNC) is a registered nurse who possesses both medical and legal knowledge. The LNC assists members of the legal profession with cases involving medical issues, such as medical malpractice, personal injury, product liability or workers' compensation. The LNC functions in two main roles: as a consulting expert or as a testifying expert. Some LNCs also are involved in the catastrophic injury area by giving advice about life care planning.

Whether as an in-house employee or independent consultant, the LNC offers a wide range of professional services. These include interviewing clients; screening cases for merit; analyzing and summarizing medical records and other evidence; researching and evaluating medical literature; assisting in preparation for an evaluation of depositions; identifying, locating, screening and consulting medical experts; and preparing exhibits for settlement hearings or trials.

By testifying at hearings, depositions or trials, the LNC assists the judge and jury by explaining and evaluating the necessary standards of nursing care. In personal injury cases, the LNC analyzes medical records and explains the care and treatment provided. The life care planner testifies about the future costs and services required for someone to achieve optimum health.

JCCC offers a 23-credit-hour legal nurse consultant program for registered nurses who have satisfied JCCC and American Bar Association general education requirements. There is also a 30-credit-hour legal nurse consultant entrepreneurship certificate, which prepares registered nurses who have satisfied JCCC and American Bar Association general education requirements to open their own LNC service business, providing consulting and testifying expertise to their clients.

In all areas of practice, the legal nurse consultant follows the ethical standards of nursing and the legal professions. Legal nurse consultants cannot practice law. Only attorneys who are licensed in the state of Kansas by the Supreme Court can practice.

For more information, contact Anita Tebbe, professor/chair, legal studies, at atebbe@jccc.edu.