NEWS FLASH
The Institute Team Rallied Around the Race for the Cure®
Gathering early on the morning of October 4th, staff members of the Institute joined a huge crowd of 25,000 for the 5K Houston Race for the Cure®. It was an uplifting way to spend our Saturday morning helping to raise money to support our charity of choice: the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
With your commitment and generosity the Vickie Milazzo Institute proudly donated $12,262.00 to help eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease and the leading cause of death among women between the ages of 40 and 59. Thank you for your generosity.
Supporting the Cure,
Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD
CLNC® SUCCESS STORY
Becoming a CLNC® Restored My Ability to Make a Difference
by Rachel Cartwright, RN, MS, LHRM, CLNC
After being a nurse for almost 21 years, including several years as a full-time manager in a corporate hospital, I didn't feel I was making a difference. I'd always been interested in quality assurance and performance improvement – in "making things better" – but that piece is rapidly being cut out of healthcare provision.
I was also looking for the freedom and mental challenge I had enjoyed as a joint-commission consultant. In that position, I had traveled coast-to-coast to consult with hospitals. This job took time away from my family and was physically exhausting. But I became familiar with hospital quality standards and the process of meeting those standards. With that knowledge and my experience in critical care, I felt there had to be a career more challenging and satisfying than hospital management.
My CLNC® Training Gave Me Instant Credibility with Attorneys
Searching the Internet, I found Vickie's website, and bingo! I knew this was it. I signed up for the next CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar.
Vickie was terrific. I liked the examples she used, because I could apply them to what I knew about hospital settings. I could easily identify negligence, duty or suspect situations. She even used different examples from a variety of nursing specialties to match the experience of everyone in the audience. Vickie gave me the confidence and energy to start my own business, and the information I needed to speak comfortably with attorneys.
The CLNC® Certification provides instant credibility. Attorneys have been dealing with nurses who have no certification. They're impressed when I tell them I attended a week-long training program to help me understand how to apply my nursing knowledge to benefit their legal cases.
They appreciate the fact that they don't have to teach me the basics before we talk about specific case issues.
Just One Attorney Needed to Say "Yes" for My New CLNC® Career to Take Off
After the CLNC® 6-Day Certification Seminar, I went home excited, motivated and nervous about getting started. I used all the tools Vickie so generously shared with us and crafted an introductory letter to 40 attorneys in my local area. I mailed the letter along with carefully selected items that showcased my experience and expertise. One week later I followed up with phone calls to all 40 attorney-prospects.
One attorney was eager and enthusiastic about working with me right away. I researched his firm through the Martindale-Hubbard directory, which gave him the highest ratings in legal ability and professional standards of conduct. I was elated to be interviewing with such a stellar attorney.
We made an appointment and had an excellent first meeting. I left his office with a case to review. Guided by Vickie's splendid examples, I wrote my report. At the follow-up meeting, the attorney had another case for me in addition to moving forward with the first case. He said my thoroughness and systematic approach to the issues were superior. Without Vickie's training, I could never have made such an incredible impression. And there's more! My first attorney-client gave my name to another attorney.
Over the phone the second attorney and I briefly discussed a case he wanted me to review. He had no problem paying my hourly rate of $120.00 and said he would have the documents and retainer sent to my home. I told him that, on the first case, I like to meet with the attorney, so we can get to know each other and I can answer any questions. He said he felt he already knew me because of the first attorney's sterling recommendation. Later, when my new client and I finally met, he promised to recommend me to his inner circle.
A year later, the referrals are still coming, and my marketing has paid off. Once I talked to a few attorneys and discovered how much they needed my expertise, I knew all I had to do was get my name in front of a lot of people. I now have three clients who keep me busy. The most important lesson I learned was it only takes one attorney to make this happen.
The harder I work, the more my earning capacity increases. As long as I perform to high expectation – not a problem for me, since I like things done right the first time – the success will keep coming.
I Love the Autonomy, Flexibility and Financial Freedom of Being a CLNC®
I've worked my whole career to diversify my background and become knowledgeable in areas beyond bedside care. Now I use that diverse knowledge to make a difference. When I read a medical record, I use my creative mind to analyze cause and effect, and to figure out what the nurse and patient might have been thinking. I look at both sides, write down my assessment, and discuss it openly with the attorneys. They often tell me, "I never really thought of it that way."
I like the autonomy of having my own CLNC® practice. I like being able to think and give my opinion without criticism. Being a CLNC® gives me the freedom to comment on both medical practice and nursing practice.
Working in either a hospital or a traditional business, I could never have the independence and financial freedom I have now. I have time with my family and can adjust my work schedule around my lifestyle.
Any nurse who has a CLNC® Certification, a strong nursing background and the initiative to hang in there can succeed at this. Those attorneys out there definitely need us to make a difference.
Thank you, Vickie, for sharing your dreams and accomplishments. My dreams are now becoming a reality.
Rachel Cartwright, RN, MS, LHRM, CLNC owns Medical-Legal Concepts in Florida. She specializes in critical care and compliance with regulatory agencies.
