Get Acquainted With the J.E.R.K. LNC

About Our Founders Our Mission and Philosophy What Is A Legal Nurse Consultant? Who Joins and Why Benefits of Membership Testimonials The J.E.R.K. Promise Share the J.E.R.K. J.E.R.K. eNews Pro Bono / Agatha Group J.E.R.K. Blog The Resource Store In the News Resources

E-Mail Us


NACLNC

the J.E.R.K. LNC Members Area

Building Buddies Business Flash of the Week J.E.R.K.-a-Saurus Marketing Quote of the Day Tip Offs

Take Our Weekly Survey

Do you like the name the J.E.R.K. LNC Network?
YES! I love being a JERKLNC nurse!
NO, I just cant get used to that name
It does not matter to me what the name is, I love this network of Legal Nurses

View Past Surveys

Proud Member of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants

the J.E.R.K. LNC Blog

Guest blogger Stephen Appelbaum presents “Driving Home Points with Demonstrative Evidence”

August 31st, 2010

The genesis for the use of demonstrative evidence during a mediation, deposition, or trial actually goes back to biblical times. Remember that Moses did not come off the mountain and tell the Children of Israel the words spoken to him by God . . . he brought charts. Six-hundred and thirteen commandments in the Bible, digested down to two boards, with five key items on each chart, numerically indexed. This may have been the first use of Federal Rule 1006, which allows for the use of summary charts of otherwise voluminous material.

As the courts are becoming more liberal with the use of visuals during opening statements, the trial attorney has an increasing obligation to use that portion of the trial to organize the case for the jury. The process of jurors’ hearing testimony is similar to that of being given pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, one at a time, with the objective to assemble the final picture. Imagine how difficult this could be if one is not first shown the picture on the cover of the box. Using visuals during the opening statement is like showing the jury the cover of the box. Now they know what they are supposed to do with the pieces (testimony), and like the pieces of a puzzle, there is only one way they will fit together to make the picture that the attorney has proposed. During the opening statement each attorney has a chance to show the picture on the cover of her or his box as it illustrates the theme and focus of the case.

The laws of primacy (what the jury heard at the beginning of the case) and recency (what the jury heard last) dictate the innovative use of visuals during opening statements and closing arguments and should be considered when planning for these points in the trial presentation. Visual evidence should be incorporated into the presentation of every key point in both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s case. It helps to focus jurors on the strength and logic of the attorney’s case and the weaknesses of the adversary’s. Read the rest of this entry »

A Look Back At My Testimonial to the J.E.R.K. LNC

August 26th, 2010

Over a year ago, I wrote my thoughts about how it felt to be a member of the J.E.R.K. LNC group. I just revisited the testimonial and, by golly,  every single word still rings true! I love being a part of this amazing and powerful group. Its an honor and a joy to share my career experiences and my life experiences with the folks involved in this “family” of legal nurse consultants! We are each as different as a snowflake pattern but together we create an avalanche of knowledge, support and camaraderie.

And now we are so excited to all be meeting face-to-face at our first Conference in October! Check out the link to see what we will be sharing. Care to join us?  The First  J.E.R.K. LNC Conference

My testimonial:

As a new legal nurse consultant (LNC) starting my own business from the bottom up in 2007, I realized that I needed to become part of a larger LNC network in order to gain knowledge, experience and power. From day one, I began to search on the internet for organizations, directories, places and groups that I could join to become affiliated with other LNCs. I yearned for forums to share ideas and thoughts, frustrations and joys, and to ask questions and get answers about becoming a new business owner and an LNC. I also knew that I needed to quickly develop a network of bright, experienced and motivated RNs from every specialty so that I could tap into my resource pool of LNCs subcontractors when I received cases outside my areas of expertise.

During my first year in business, I had trouble finding LNC groups that met all of my needs. I signed up with listservs and entrepreneur groups and nurse’s groups in an effort to reach out to those LNCs who might show an interest in meeting and networking with me. My opportunities were limited and not always beneficial or productive, and I found that many LNCs did not want to share, especially with newcomers. Those few that did want to network were interested in taking information from me, but not willing to give in return. Read the rest of this entry »

First Annual J.E.R.K. LNC Conference Information

August 23rd, 2010

FIRST Annual J.E.R.K. LNC Conference

Friday, October 1, 2010

Now at a more convenient location!

Embassy Suites Raleigh - Crabtree

4700 Creedmoor Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612
(919) 881-0000

Registration deadline is September 10, 2010. Seating is limited.

Join the J.E.R.K. listserv by September 10, 2010 for a one-time exclusive savings!

$100.00 for new J.E.R.K. nurses who join the listserv between August 1 and September 10, 2010

$125.00 for regular J.E.R.K. members

$150.00 for non-J.E.R.K. registered nurses

You may pay for the conference by visiting http://www.thejerklnc.com.

Click the Donate button on the right side of the page to use Paypal or credit card.

For more information, email Paula Bell at Paula@Bellmedicalrecords.com or Claire Hull at rntolaw@nc.rr.com

Preliminary Schedule

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m Breakfast Provided

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m Paula Bell, RN, Master of Ceremony

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Pat Iyer, RN, MSN, LNCC

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Lee Houston, RN, BSN, LNC

12:00 a.m – 1:00 p.m. Lunch Provided

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lisa Mayhew, MS

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Valerie Lane, RN

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Debra Flowers, MSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Patricia Bemis, RN

5:00 p.m. - Networking, Door prizes, and Beverages

Our Speakers

Pat Iyer, MSN RN LNCC is a legal nurse consultant with 22 years of experience assisting attorneys with medical malpractice and personal injury cases. She has served as president of the AALNC and is the chief editor of Legal Nurse Consulting: Principles and Practice and Business Principles for Legal Nurse Consultants. Mrs. Iyer is the only legal nurse consultant in the country who has been honored by AALNC two years in a row. She was given AALNC’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and Volunteer of the Year Award in 2006. Mrs. Iyer is a certified legal nurse consultant, having earned certification from AALNC. The LNCC credential is the only legal nurse consulting certification that meets the standards of other nursing certifications and the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) and is open only to legal nurse consultants who are experienced. No other medical legal consultant has written as much as Mrs. Iyer. A prolific author, Pat Iyer has written or edited 22 books, and authored 43 book chapters, in addition to writing numerous articles.

Paula Bell, RN is a legal nurse consultant with 15 years of clinical experience. She is a specialist in the complex arena of state and insurance charting documentation and regulation for hospitals and long term care facilities. Ms. Bell is adept at interpreting and transcribing physician orders and lab results and determining the accuracy of medication adjustments. She is also an expert in wound care prevention, treatment and expected outcomes, and evaluating the course of orthopedic physical therapy progression. Ms. Bell is also experienced in the area of home care and the proper provision of outpatient wound care, home I.V. medication administration, hospice and respite care for all age groups. She comes to us from Pennsylvania, is a founding member and forum administrator for the J.E.R.K., determining policies and procedures for that group and establishing guidelines for membership.

Lee Houston, RN, BSN, LNC is a graduate of Itawamba Community College in Fulton, MS; Regis University in Denver, CO; Davidson County Community College in Lexington, NC; and graduate of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Law Enforcement Training Academy in Jackson, MS. Mr. Houston followed a career in emergency medicine, critical care and law enforcement at world class facilities (Duke University Health System, Baptist Memorial Hospital, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics), which lead to his founding of Emergency Legal Nurse Consulting, LLC. He is experienced in research, clarity in writing, meticulous detail, and organization. Mr. Houston is a member of many associations, including the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC), the Heart of Carolina chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), and the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators (AMLS). He has earned certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, Basic Life Support, Advanced Medical Life Support, Trauma Nurse Core Course, is a North Carolina Interventions Instructor for the North Carolina Department of Mental Health, and is also a Notary Public.

Valerie Lane, RN Corrections, provides nursing supervision for 25-30 Registered Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses and Certified Nurse’s Aides, for an institution of 6,000 inmates weekly. Ms. Lane is responsible for providing the Correctional Treatment Center and Temporary Treatment Area with leadership, policy and procedure direction and offers her skills to the staff by giving direction, education, and administration of policy and procedure. She works with the implementation and management of quality improvement programs to guarantee that care is supplied according to state regulations and standards of care. Ms. Lane also provides employee evaluation, along with counseling and discipline as required.

Lisa Mayhew, MS, graces us from Chapel Hill, North Carolina as a Child Death Scene Investigator and Trainer for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. She is also an Adjunct Instructor at the North Carolina Justice Academy in Salemburg, NC. Ms. Mayhew has earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Child Development and has worked as a child development specialist in North Carolina since 1992. She has offered direct therapy services to children, and has also provided consultation and training in North Carolina and across the United States. She specializes in the age 0-3 population and works with children with special needs and interdisciplinary collaboration. She has served as the Child Death Investigator and Trainer for the Office of Chief Medical Examiners since 2000 and has conducted investigations of child deaths statewide while also providing assistance in investigations to local and state agencies. Ms. Mayhew also oversees the Child Death Investigation Training Program in conjunction with the North Carolina Justice Academy to agencies involved in child fatality investigations statewide.

Deborah Flowers, MSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P Adult Health, Children’s Health,works as a Program/Coordinator/Nurse Consultant for the Child Medical Evaluation Program that is based in the Department of Pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine. She is certified in emergency nursing and as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for both adults and adolescents. Deborah Flowers offers a multitude of services in the Child Medical Evaluation Program based in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, including program coordinator and nurse consultant. She is certified in emergency nursing, and is also a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for both adults and adolescents. She is currently enrolled in the UNC-CH School of Nursing’s post master’s pediatric nurse practitioner certificate program.

Patricia Ann Bemis, RN CEN, is the president of the National Nurses in Business Association. She has held the position since 1999. She received the Great 100 Nurses award presented by the Florida Nurses Association in 2009 in the entrepreneur category. She is the author of the following books and columns: Self-Employed RN: Choices, Business Aspects, and Marketing strategies; Nurse Entrepreneurs:Tales of Nurses in Business; Emergency Nursing Bible (a peer-reviewed textbook); a regular column for RN Magazine on nurse entrepreneurship and one for The Medical-Legal News. Ms. Bemis developed the following courses: RN Self-Employment 101; Emergency Nursing Review: ACE the CEN and Legal Nurse Consulting: the Business Side.

Guest Blogger: Hope H. Wade, RN, BS, CLNC, CLCP “The Sooner, The Better”

July 6th, 2010

Several years ago, a plaintiff attorney asked if I could find an anesthesiology expert to review a medical malpractice case which was well underway. When I know an attorney, I don’t mind just giving him a name and CV, if able. But I’m still hesitant to recommend a potential testifying expert without first reviewing the case myself.

Proper vetting of a testifying expert is very time-consuming and many attorneys prefer to do that task themselves. But, for me to even preliminarily contact a potential expert, I need to know the facts of the case so I can intelligently go over the specifics with the expert, prior to making a referral.

Although I had a great anesthesiologist in mind the more questions I asked of the attorney, the more puzzled I became. The attorney finally got tired of my endless questions and sent me the medical records.

Basic facts of the case: A gentleman coded while in the special procedures room and had to be taken directly to surgery. He never regained consciousness and tubes were pulled a few days later.

Several very well-qualified physician experts in various specialties had already reviewed the file. I read several of the expert depositions.The defense repeatedly stated there were no code blue records, due to the code happening in the special treatment room. (RED FLAG) Read the rest of this entry »

Guest blogger: Claire Hull RN CCM CLNC–How LNCs Deal With Legal & Ethical Issues

June 27th, 2010

THE JERK LNC FLASH OF THE WEEK

This week, I’m discussing some of the legal and ethical issues a Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC) has to deal with on a regular basis. Please read on to enjoy a sampling of what we learn by being involved in a close-knit group of legal nurse consultants. The J.E.R.K. LNC members learn & share something new & exciting every week!

There are many different situations an LNC could find herself in that might
endanger her career. When specifically dealing with liability, the LNC
should be aware of the theories that can be used against her, and how to
avoid them completely.

To begin with, the major theories are malpractice cause of action,
unauthorized practice of law, breach of contract cause of action, fraud,
misrepresentation, breach of warranty, disciplinary action by a state board
of nursing, and others. Each of these theories of liability can be advanced
against the LNC, so it’s important to be cautious of when the LNC is
accountable for her actions.

For instance, in the case of malpractice cause of action, the LNC is
accountable for her actions AT ALL TIMES. This is important to remember
because the plaintiff must prove four elements against the defendant LNC :
Duty, Breach of Duty, Damages, and Causation.

Beginning with duty, the plaintiff must first prove that the LNC has a duty
that goes by a specific standard of conduct. The courts typically ask
themselves., “Was there a relationship between the plaintiff and defendant
LNC at the time of the incident, and did it make the basis of the lawsuit?”
If yes, then the defendant LNC has a responsibility to the plaintiff to
conduct herself prudently. Read the rest of this entry »



The J.E.R.K. LNC Blog is proudly powered by WordPress
The J.E.R.K. LNC Blog RSS Entries (RSS) and The J.E.R.K. LNC Blog RSS Comments (RSS).