Eligibility Requirements

• The American Legal Nurse Consultation Certification Board (ALNCCB) provides certification for those interested in becoming a legal nurse consultant. The Legal Nurse Consultant Certification (LNCC) is available to people who already hold a license as a registered nurse. LNCC candidates must also have a minimum of five years of nursing experience and 2,000 hours of experience in legal nurse consulting.
  
  

Examination

• The purpose of the LNCC test is to make sure you've learned the appropriate knowledge and skills to successfully work as a legal nurse consultant. As such, the test covers medical malpractice, personal injury, product liability and toxic tort, workers' compensation, risk management, life care planning, administrative halt law and regulatory compliance, elder law and criminal/forensic. According to the ALNCCB, approximately half of the test questions are about medical malpractice and personal injury and about quarter of the questions cover product liability/toxic tort and workers' compensation.
  
  

Recertification

• Once you've attained certification, you are required to maintain your credentials through re-certification. To be eligible for re-certification, your RN license must still be current and you must have a minimum of 2,000 more hours of legal nurse consulting experience. Once deemed eligible for re-certification, you must pass the LNCC certification exam again or have proof of 60 contact hours. The renewal fee for ALNCCB members is $295 and it is $395 for non-members.
  
  

Another Option

• Another organization that offers training for legal nurse consultants is the National Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (NALNC). This association offers various packages along with its certification program. There are three levels of packages (silver, gold, and platinum packages), each of which include a certification course and a listing in the LNC directory.
  
  

Salary Potential

• According to Payscale.com, those with one to four years of experience have a median salary of $71,200. Those with five to nine years of experience have a median salary of $77,500. Reported salaries for those with 10 to 19 years of experience drop to $66,200, as of April 2010. Veteran certified legal nurse consultants, those with 20 plus years of experience, have a median salary of $73,700.