FROM THE EDITOR
When the Student Becomes the Teacher
by Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
Since 1985, I've trained thousands of nurses to start new careers as legal nurse consultants (LNC). In every one of my classes I learn something from my students. But of all the nurses I've ever taught, one student truly stands out as the teacher.
This particular RN, Mary, had attached a letter to her registration form stating that she was deaf and would require someone to "sign" the seminar for her. My initial annoyance at having to find a sign language interpreter increased when I learned that I would have to find not one, but two signers so they could alternate every 15 minutes. Irritation grew to aggravation when I discovered that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, I was also required to pay the signers' professional fees.
The bottom line was that the cost of meeting Mary's needs was three times more than the tuition she was paying. I rationalized my irritation by asking myself why she wanted to attend a seminar that would teach her how to analyze medical records. How could a deaf woman hope to establish her own business as a legal nurse consultant?
But she had paid her tuition, so she had every right to attend. Once acceptance settled in, I actually started feeling good about providing a pro bono service to a fellow nurse. I soon forgot about Mary and the fact that she had put me in the red — until the day we met.
The first day of the seminar Mary's signers arrived before she did. They militantly staked out seats in the front of the room and insisted that both they and Mary sit there in order to see me — not in the seats at the back where I was hoping to divert them.
Not used to sharing the stage, I was definitely out of sorts by the time Mary arrived. Mary, I quickly realized, was not only deaf but also legally blind. She couldn't hear the seminar and could barely read the textbooks. Now I was convinced there was no way she could become a legal nurse consultant.
But the crowning blow was her companion. She had brought her seeing eye dog with her. In the front row of my audience, I now had a deaf and blind student, a pair of sign language interpreters and a dog to compete with.
I admit I tried to pretend they weren't there at all, a challenge that proved to be impossible. Throughout the day the dog would bark for no apparent reason, and giggles would creep across my classroom. During the breaks any time a participant came within five feet of Mary, the barking became incessant. I put on my best plastic smile and patted myself on the back for dealing with this distraction so heroically.
The dog's presence discouraged other students from approaching Mary, increasing her isolation. Yet she kept smiling and paid close attention to everything I said. Eventually I realized that my inconvenience was nothing compared to hers. My "bravery" in speaking before 100 nurses paled beside hers.
I swallowed my humiliation and approached her. Surprisingly, the dog let me pass, and through the signer, Mary and I began a conversation. I asked what got her interested in legal nurse consulting. She said, "I was working on my own malpractice case. The attorney was so impressed with my help that he told me if I took your course he'd hire me as a LNC." I was grateful she couldn't see the looks of surprise, guilt and contrition parading across my face.
Mary also shared that the eyestrain of trying to read the books and follow the signing sent her back to her hotel room with a severe migraine headache each day. I joked that she wasn't the only student who had this experience.
For the rest of the seminar I forgot about my inconvenience and did what I could to make Mary's day easier. At the end of the program, I was rewarded with an expressive thank you from her and a "kiss" from her dog, the only one he gave that week.
Today, whenever I begin feeling frustrated, stressed or bothered by a minor hassle, whenever I'm tempted to give up and stop growing, I remember Mary. This courageous woman taught me as much as I try to teach my students about overcoming obstacles. Despite the overwhelming odds against her, she started each day with a smile and worked harder than every other student, knowing her reward would be the extra bonus of a migraine headache from non-stop eyestrain. If Mary can live her dreams, we all can, no matter how audacious they might be.
NEWS FLASH
Medical Error Reports Now Open to Medicare Patients
LNCs who work with Medicare cases will be happy to know that a new policy allows Medicare patients to obtain information about investigations of physicians and hospitals who provide inadequate patient care.
Medicare patients file tens of thousands of complaints each year against physicians and hospitals. These complaints are reviewed by a peer-review organization, and each complaint receives a "final disposition." But in the past, records of such investigations could only be released "with the consent of that practitioner." In most cases physicians denied release of the records.
A new policy requires investigators to release these records. This policy will help ensure that healthcare to Medicare patients meets professionally recognized standards. The patient will also be able to access information on previous actions taken against the physician or hospital.
The new policy resulted from a lawsuit filed against a hospital in Jacksonville, FL. in 1998 by the family of a Medicare patient who died of a stroke six days after suffering an asthma attack and experiencing high blood pressure. The peer-review group initially denied the release of the investigation records because the physician refused. After prompting from the federal government, Florida Health and Human Services made the peer-review organization divulge the investigation records to the plaintiff.
With this new policy in place LNCs will have easier access to QA documents when egregious errors have been made. This policy is also setting a precedent and in the future may become standard practice.
BEST PRACTICES FOR MARKETING
Building Trust With Attorney Prospects
by Evie Baron-Hernandez
Meeting an attorney prospect for the first time can be stressful for both you and the attorney. After all, you haven't established a relationship with this prospect yet, and both of you are unsure if or how you will be able to do business. One thing is a must for that first meeting: Establish trust with your potential client as soon as possible. If an attorney does not trust you, she may be closed to the idea of listening to what you have to say or using your services.
Look Trustworthy
One way to establish trust with the attorney is by appearing confident during your interview. You can exude confidence by having a professional appearance, confident posture, and most importantly, the right body language.
Make consistent eye contact with the attorney for 3 to 5 seconds, especially when you are telling her about the services you have to offer.
Make sure your facial expressions match what you are saying. If you are serious and passionate about your topic, you want to appear serious and passionate.
If an attorney sees that you are confident, she will find it easier to trust what you are saying is credible and accurate.
Show That You Care
The key to building trust with a potential client is showing her that you are more interested in her than in yourself. The PIN method is an excellent way to accomplish this. PIN stands for the three things you should focus on: Person, Interests and Needs for your product or service.
During an interview, attorneys often want you to take charge of the conversation since you are the one offering a service. The PIN method is a great way of leading the conversation:
The Person — Start by expressing interest in the person. For example, ask questions about the attorney personally, such as:
"I see you graduated from law school at ______________ University."
"This is a great office. How long have you been in practice?"
Interests – Once you have established comfortable conversation, move on to her interests with questions like:
"Do you do pro bono work for any special organizations?"
Or mention something about a plaque or photograph on the wall.
Needs – Finally, focus on her need for your services by asking questions like:
"What problems have you experienced in the past that a LNC could have helped you solve?"
"How do you currently evaluate the medical issues in a case?"
"Is there a challenging medical-related case you're working on right now?"
The PIN method helps you get the attorney involved and interested in the interview. The more involved the attorney is, the more likely you will be to close the sale. You also learn a lot about your potential client, which guides you in determining what services to focus on during the interview.
Trust Opens Doors
Build trust with a potential attorney-client by exuding confidence during that first meeting with her. Then she'll feel sure that what you have to offer is of value to her. Most importantly, keep the focus of your conversation on the attorney by using the PIN method. Master the PIN method, and you'll have more successful interviews and turn more attorney-prospects into attorney-clients.
Evie Baron-Hernandez has 14 years of experience in customer service and marketing. She is the Customer Service Coordinator for the Medical-Legal Consulting Institute Inc., and serves as a mentor, assisting LNCs in setting up their businesses and marketing themselves to attorneys.
