CLNC® SUCCESS STORY
With Vickie's Recipe I Made More Money in 2 Months Than
in a Full Year of Nursing
by Pamela Erwin, RN, BS, MS, CLNC
I love what I'm doing! In spite of, or actually because of, injuries and pain from a couple of car wrecks, I have achieved professional success and financial independence as a Certified Legal Nurse ConsultantCM.
I've done just about everything in nursing – pediatrics, emergency trauma and cardiac intensive care. While in the cardiac care unit, I became interested in working with people and in the healing benefits of alternative healthcare methods. I changed my lifestyle as well as my family's through diet, meditation, yoga and tai chi. I also earned an MS in counseling. After 13 years I left the hospital and created a series of programs ranging from upgrading labor and delivery room practices to geriatric psychological counseling.
When injuries from a car accident sidelined me for six months, I took a more accommodating position as director of professional services for a girl's reformatory. Another wreck proved to be a real life-changing event. The injuries to my jaw, shoulder, neck and right arm forced me to move to a hot, dry climate. Someone showed me literature from the CLNC® Certification Program. I was very impressed and thought, "Boy, they're on target. This is really interesting." Having served as an expert witness on a few occasions, I already knew how much the attorneys didn't know about the medical details of cases.
Upon relocation, I had several attractive offers, but I couldn't work a normal 8-to-10-hour day. I realized that legal nurse consulting was my solution. I found the Institute's website and reviewed the CLNC® Certification Program. Vickie's program really hit home with me. I became tremendously motivated to pursue a career as a CLNC®.
If I Could Make Millions for Others, I Could Do it for Myself, Too
I knew I had the background to succeed as a CLNC®, but I was scared. My biggest fear was financial. How could I become financially independent, especially in light of my physical limitations? I became determined to get past the pain from my injuries.
I was fearful about being on my own and not being around my colleagues, but Vickie's FREE mentoring program was very helpful, and I knew its importance from my counseling background. Even today, I still call the Institute, especially when I have a challenging case.
Even though I'd been consulting for two years, going from the fixed-salary routine to doing it all on my own was a big step for me. But I realized I'd consulted on six start-ups and made millions of dollars for others, so why couldn't I do it for myself? Of course, that's the theme of Vickie's message.
I ordered the CLNC® Home-Study Certification Program and studied daily for three months, working at it like an eight-hour shift. I went through the material three times. When I took the exam at a local testing center, the Institute helped me get special accommodation to move around because I couldn't sit for that long. Actually, my arm was numb during the exam, and after I got home, I cried in pain – but I passed with flying colors.
I Marshaled One Case to Full-Time Success
I was ready to go. I got a couple of small jobs from friends of friends – I made $2,000 on one case and $5,000 on another. My first big assignment came about because of my own door-to-door, out-of-the-phone-book efforts.
Two months after I submitted my marketing packet to one attorney, he called for an interview. After another two months he left a message on my answering machine. Two friends of his law firm's owner had been badly injured in a car wreck. They were in a hospital that had many malpractice lawsuits pending against it, and the owner was afraid his friends, both comatose, would not survive there. The attorney asked me to meet him and his boss at the hospital and review the situation, or as they put it, "marshal the case." I went in daily and discovered that the care the accident victims were receiving was very poor. I could horrify you for an hour with what I saw and how I intervened. To make a long story short, both victims survived. One has severe cognitive disabilities and the other has a severe physical disability. The case is now going through settlement and possibly will go to trial.
I never intended to be a full-time CLNC®, but I've been full-time ever since this case. I started getting a case about every week-and-a-half, and I've hired a CLNC® subcontractor to help. I'm so busy with my current attorney-clients, I don't have time for other law firms.
I made more money in two months than I made in a whole year of hospital nursing. I charge $150/hour. My attorney-clients often ask for my informal opinion about a medical situation in a case. These informal consultations are also billable at $150/hour. The attorneys know I'm a valuable asset to their efforts and have said so. I actually save them a lot of time and money by helping them establish a direction in a case or determine if a case is worth pursuing.
Vickie's Recipe Is My Independence and Financial Success
In addition to the money, independence and opportunity to work out of my own home, I love my professional relationships with my attorney-clients and the variety of services I get to provide. I make sure my clients receive plenty of benefits from my services.
I give the attorneys a thorough grasp of the medical aspects vital to a case. I show them examples to help them relate to seemingly minor details that are actually life and death issues. Rather than just giving them a general understanding that something is wrong, I try to give them a visceral response to the medical malpractice. That's when they really "get it" and can present a strong case.
My financial goals were to be able to support myself, live independently, not have to worry about my finances, be a philanthropist of sorts and put my kids through college. I also wanted my work to be honorable and ethical, and to uphold my values. I attribute my success to my intentions, to focusing my positive energy. My nursing experience has helped a lot, and I have followed Vickie's advice like a recipe.
Although I've never met Vickie, I feel like she and I are two peas in a pod. Judging by her website, the things she's done and the way she talks, I can tell she's incredibly organized. Yet we also share an interest in feng shui, which tells me she's not all traditional. You need some untraditional thinking to succeed in this world.
I am very happy helping attorneys help patients who have been abused by the healthcare system. I know from firsthand experience there's a great need for this kind of work.
I still have some of the pain and physical limitations that led me into this field, but I'm having fun now. I have so much money coming in, I don't know what to do with it. I thank Vickie from the bottom of my heart.
Pam Erwin, RN, BSN, MS, CLNC is an independent Certified Legal Nurse ConsultantCM in California. She has a broad range of clinical and administrative experience with a master's degree in psychology/counseling. She specializes in medical malpractice cases.
