Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Certification (CLNC): Overview and FAQ

Earning a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant certification (CLNC certification) can help you enter the field as a legal nurse consultant. Offered by LegalNurse.com, this credential includes a training program, mentorship support, and marketing guidance for nurses who are transitioning into this fascinating role.

What Are Certified Legal Nurse Consultants?

Legal nurse consultants (LNCs) are nurses who use their clinical expertise in the legal realm, working with law offices, insurance agencies, government bodies, and policy groups. Earning a certification shows an additional level of authority in this role because it means that an LNC has passed an exam and is a member of a professional organization.

Earning this credential could be advantageous for nurses interested in working as expert witnesses, paralegals, or medical record reviewers. But you don’t have to be certified — legal nurse consultant certification can make you more competitive in these roles, but it’s not typically a job requirement.

Benefits of CLNC Certification:

• Salary: Nurses who transition into work as an LNC may be able to boost their income — LegalNurse claims that certification holders may earn as much as $150 per hour.
• Flexibility: Launching a career as an LNC can help you branch away from bedside nursing, gaining more work-life balance while still using your nursing expertise.
• Structure: Rather than learning all your knowledge on the job as an LNC, this certification program adds structure to your experiences and can help ensure you’re ready to take on clients.
• Confidence: While it’s not generally a work requirement, certification can help you feel more confident when pitching your services to legal firms and potential employers.

How to Become a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant: 4 Steps

This role is designed for nurses with several years of experience, so it’s not suited for new graduate nurses. Hiring professionals in this field are seeking expert clinicians who are self-motivated and credible. Only RNs may sit for the exam, but a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is not required.

Step 1: Choose and Purchase the Certificate Program

First, you’ll need to select and pay for access to the CLNC certification system of your choosing. There are four program options, depending on your needs:

• Basic
• Executive
• VIP
• VIP Pro

Each program varies in offers and pricing. For example, the basic, least expensive system includes eight components and costs $4,997 without a promotional offer. See the components of the basic system:

• Online certification videos, including 44.63 contact hours
• Core curriculum textbook
• CLNC certification exam
• Monthly mentorship from CLNC mentors
• Listing in the NACLNC online directory
• CLNC webinars and group mentoring
• CLNC marketing center program
• NACLNC association membership benefits

Step 2: Complete the Program

Once you’ve purchased the program, you can complete the core curriculum on your own time. However, you’ll need to sit for the exam within one year of purchasing the program, so don’t wait too long. The 799-page textbook, included in the program, has 17 learning modules:

1. Role of the CLNC
2. The litigation process
3. Theories of liability and defenses used in medical-related cases
4. Anatomy of personal injury, products liability, toxic tort, and workers’ compensation cases
5. How to screen medical-related cases effectively and efficiently
6. Comprehensive case evaluation strategies and report writing techniques
7. How to research medical-related cases
8. Standards of care
9. Helping attorneys with discovery
10. Helping attorneys develop demonstrative evidence
11. The role of the nurse as a testifying expert
12. Locating and working with testifying experts
13. How to formulate and negotiate contracts
14. Legal and ethical issues
15. Developing a marketing strategy
16. Successful interview strategies
17. Business development principles

Step 3: Pass the Certification Exam

Once you’ve completed all of the certification materials, it’s time to sit for the CLNC exam. To access it, you’ll need to finish and submit an evaluation of the course. You can then take the test at your leisure from home, and you’ll be given 90 minutes to complete 100 questions.

Scores of 70% or more are considered passing. Once you finish, you’ll immediately receive a score. What if you don’t pass the exam on the first try? You can retake the test, but you’ll need to pay any application fees again and submit a new exam application. You can retake the exam as many times as you like.

Here are some examples of learning outcomes you’ll be expected to know for the test:

• Identify four legal elements you must know to analyze a case.
• List the key stages of litigation and the CLNC consultant’s role in each.
• Identify the sources of standards of care
• Recognize conflicts of interest.
• Respond to 18 common interview questions.

Step 4: Maintain Your Credential

The CLNC credential is valid for two years, after which you’ll need to renew and pay a fee to remain active. You can renew an unexpired certification for one year from the expiration date:

• One-time payment: $497
• Auto-renew: $447

Certified Legal Nurse Consultant Certification FAQ

Is CLNC worth it?

This depends on your goals. Earning CLNC is not a shortcut to a thriving consulting business, and you’ll still need to put in the legwork of marketing yourself and building a client list. But the credential can help you gain confidence and skills as a new LNC.

What’s the difference between CLNC and LNCC?

The Legal Nurse Consultant Certification (LNCC) is offered by the American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board. It differs from CLNC in several ways:

• LNCC requires 5 years of experience and 2,000 practice hours as a legal nurse consultant.
• LNCC has a much lower certification cost.
• LNCC does not include coursework or review materials in its program.

How long does it take to become a legal nurse consultant?

If you’re an experienced RN, you can begin inquiring with legal firms to assist as a legal nurse consultant today. Taking a program like CLNC may take a few weeks or months, depending on the time you can commit.

Get Help When Searching for Nursing Jobs

Looking to get away from the bedside? You don’t have to become a certified legal nurse consultant — certification is only one way to advance your career. IntelyCare has non-bedside roles for nurses like you. Learn more with personalized job notifications.