What training is available?
There is no requirement for a course in Canada to be a Legal Nurse Consultant. Some organizations offer courses in Canada and the United States that help you build foundational skills and provide a certificate of completion.
What kind of certificates or certifications are available?
Certificates of completion indicate you have completed content provided by a group, company, or organization. A certification results from an assessment process usually awarded by a third-party, standard-setting organization such as the CNA in Canada or the American Nurses Association in the United States.
In Canada, there is no certification under the Canadian Nurses Association for Legal Nurse Consulting. There are not enough LNCs in Canada to run a certification program. The LNCAC is a professional practice group for LNCs to meet and share knowledge and expertise.
Where do LNCs Practice in Canada?
In the US, LNCs work either in law offices or as testifying experts. In Canada, most of us work as independent practitioners from home. Very few nurses work in law offices in Canada. When taking a case, you need to hold to your area of expertise and ensure you are unbiased, regardless of who hires you (plaintiff or defence). Remember, you are an expert to the Court.
Check out our LNCAC brochure for other ideas on using your nursing skills as an LNC.
How do I get started?
How to get started can be challenging Some things to consider:
- Speak to your accountant if starting an incorporated company is best for you.
- Have your Curriculum Vitae prepared, highlighting your professional and clinical expertise.
- Most of us all work clinically as well.
- How you are going to market yourself?
- Consider reaching out to lawyer contacts, making cold calls, and appointments – be creative!
- Offer to speak at law conferences and write clinical articles for law journals. They may not need you now, but keep your CV on file.
- Once you have had a few cases your work will speak for itself. Realistically it takes many of us a few years to get well established.
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Join the LNCAC – Through our professional practice group we share our expertise and sometimes refer cases to each other based on specialty.
