CLNC Success Stories. - book review

AORN Journal, May, 2003 by Winnie Annis

Vickie L. Milazzo, ed 2002, 81 pp $12.95 paperback

This book will serve as an inspiration to any professional nurse considering a career as a certified legal nurse consultant. It consists mainly of stories written by nurses who are successful legal nurse consultants. These nurses come from diverse backgrounds, but the book shows that a nursing education can serve as a foundation for a career in business as well as acute care. Many aspects of running a successful business are addressed, including managing time, setting up an office, writing a business plan, and marketing the business. Each contributor discusses a different set of obstacles and strategies for coping with and overcoming them. Each one partially or wholly attributes her success to participation in an educational program offered by the editor of this book. Analysis of the individual stories reveals that each contributor regards the editor as an exceptional coach and mentor who empowered her to fashion a profitable career as a certified legal nurse consultant.

The editor, a pioneer in legal nurse consulting, also is an authoritative educator in the field. She initiated the first national certification program for legal nurse consultants in 1994. She personally has reviewed thousands of medically related legal cases and attributes her success to following the trademarked step-by-step process showcased in the book. She offers 12 lessons for success--control, passion, empowerment, fear, confidence, perseverance, nursing process as it applies to the business world, decisiveness, focus, mistakes as an opportunity for improvement, the personal aspects of business, and the relationship between personal health and professional success. Each short story concentrates on one or more of the editor's lessons and how they helped the contributor achieve a prosperous career as a legal nurse consultant.

A significant shortcoming of this book is that it lacks concrete information about legal nurse consulting. The stories are anecdotal and do not provide any significant information about what education or knowledge is necessary to practice in this field. Nurses seeking more information are directed to the editor's web site. The lack of objective information regarding legal nurse consulting gives this book the feel of a sales pitch for the editor's seminars.

This book is available from Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc, 2476 Bolsover St, Houston, TX 77055; http://www.LegalNurse.com.

WINNIE ANNIS
RN, BSN, CNOR
STAFF NURSE
HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL
METHUEN, MASS