The American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to facilitate the growth of registered nurses consulting in legal matters. AALNC has developed a legal nurse consulting online course package that includes eight training modules, a reference textbook on the principles and practice of legal nurse consulting and sample reports for legal nurse consultants. The eight modules are: introduction to legal nurse consulting, roles of the LNC in practice, legal fundamentals, expert witness roles of the LNC in practice, access and analysis practice skills for medical records, research and report writing practice skills for medical records, practice skills for case screenings and business principles and practices. Students receive a certificate after successful completion of all modules and tests. As of 2011 the cost of this package is $1,665 for members of the AALNC and $1,900 for nonmembers.
The Vickie Milazzo Institute in Houston developed the first legal nursing training program in 1982, and its certified legal nurse consultants (CLNC) certification is the official certification of the National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants (NACLNC). The institute offers an online, DVD, CD or six-day seminar program that trains nurses to become legal consultants. Orlando, Chicago, Las Vegas, Houston, Philadelphia and Atlanta are 2011 seminar locations. Students can choose one of three training programs: the VIP CLNC business system, the executive CLNC success system or the basic CLNC success system. Each program offers 40-hour, home-study certification training with 19 modules, a legal nurse consulting textbook, free mentoring from CLNC consultants and the CLNC certification exam at any of the more than 250 testing centers in the United States. As of 2011, the price for the basic CLNC success system is $4,397; the executive CLNC success system is $7,297; and the VIP CLNC business system is $12,997.
LNC Stat, a subsidiary of RN Market, offers an advanced legal nurse consultant (ALNC) certification consisting of four workshops: legal nurse essentials, report writing and case analysis, contracts and fee schedules and market for success. All four workshops and homework assignments must be completed before students can take the ALNC exam for certification. LNC Stat has three packages: basic, elite plan and expert curriculum, all of which include live seminars in Tampa, Florida, Louisville, Kentucky and Scottsdale, Arizona. There are home-study options on DVD and online, unlimited mentoring, a legal nurse essential workshop, a report writing and case analysis workshop and the ALNC certification exam. Students who pass this exam are awarded the ALNC certification and can start their own practice or work as consultants for law firms and insurance agencies. As of 2011, the basic plan is priced at $2,995, the elite plan is $6,995 and the expert curriculum plan is $13,995. Financing for all programs is available.
The State University of New York (SUNY) in Stony Brook has created a LegalNurse Consultant Training Course that's available online or in live lecture format. The program trains registered nurses and physician's assistants in legal concepts associated with health care, medical malpractice, product liability, wrongful death and workers' compensation. The course spans 42 hours and requires students to pass weekly quizzes. Live lectures take place over three weekends, eight hours per session at the Stony Brook University campus on Long Island. Online lectures begin every eight weeks from January through October, with a December end date. Classes are taught using a legal nurse consulting textbook, and include lessons on legal theory and legal nurse consultant practice areas. The course is approved by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation, and costs $849 as of 2011, which does not include the class textbook.