Vickie Milazzo Institute, founded in 1982 in Vickie's one-bedroom condo with a staff of one, now occupies 8,400 square feet of office space with an extensive support staff.

The Institute is ranked 18^th among privately held, 100% woman-owned firms in Houston, a momentous achievement in the nation's fourth largest city. "There are more than 90,000 majority-owned, privately held woman-owned firms in Houston," said Leanne Semmel, the Houston Business Journal marketing director who conducts the "Top 50" project.

"Enterprise is in a woman's DNA – just look at what we accomplish," said Vickie. "Women understand enterprise. Whether they choose to use their enterprising strength to start a venture of their own, manage a family or build a corporate career, enterprise is already inside them.

"The biggest reward for me is being able to positively influence so many of my students' careers and witness the astonishing changes that result in their lives," she added. "This honor is a tribute to the dedication of my staff and confirms my passion for what we do."

The September 9, 2005 special edition of the Houston Business Journal also featured Vickie's article "Mentors: When the going gets tough, help is around the corner." In the article, Vickie discusses the value of mentoring and cites the Institute's formal mentoring program as the core of the company.

The Houston Business Journal is owned by American City Business Journals, the nation's largest publisher of metropolitan business newspapers.

Vickie Milazzo Institute, a division of Medical-Legal Consulting Institute, Inc., is the oldest and largest legal nurse consulting company in the U.S., and has trained over 11,000 RNs to be Certified Legal Nurse Consultants^CM (CLNC^®s). Vickie is the author of Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn't Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now (Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., March 2006).

Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD (center) and Institute team members celebrate Vickie's receiving the Houston Business Journal's  "Top 50 Woman-Owned Business" award for a second consecutive year.

I'm a combat veteran – part of the Grenada invasion – with 30 years in nursing. You'd think I'd be immune to on-the-job injuries.

After leaving the military, I finished my federal career at the Department of Veterans' Affairs. I was also working PRN at a psych hospital. One night three patients assaulted me and injured my right shoulder. When that had almost healed, I returned to work at the VA hospital. In no way was I playing Super Nurse, as I'm prone to do, but while helping six other people lift a patient, I injured my left shoulder.

That second injury killed my nursing career as I knew it. Workers' comp settled for far less than I expected, even though I got the maximum amount. The only way to get my life back was to invest that money in myself and in a new future.

Over the years I had seen Vickie Milazzo Institute's advertisement in nursing journals and thought that someday I might like to become a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant^CM. My shoulder injury made "someday" come sooner than I expected.

One Magic Pen Later - A Referral Kicked Off My CLNC^® Career

Five months after attending the CLNC^® 6-Day Certification Seminar, I received a promotional ballpoint pen – bright colors, my name, address and phone number printed on the side. It struck me that this was the only evidence of my being in business. I hadn't even printed my business cards yet. I stuffed the pen in my purse.

A few days later I ran into a nurse I hadn't seen for quite a while. We chatted, and I told her about my new "career." Embarrassed that I didn't have a business card, I gave her the pen. "Here's my phone number," I said. "We can get together and have lunch."

About two months after I gave away the "magic" pen, I got a call from a law office. The attorney said, "You come highly recommended."

Highly recommended? I hadn't done a case yet. I asked if I could call back. I panicked about what to say.

"What Would Vickie Do Now?" Inspired Me to Action

Frantically, I pulled out the Core Curriculum for Legal Nurse Consulting^®, thinking, "What would Vickie do now?" Everything I needed was in that book.

For my fee, $100/hour sounded good, and Vickie said to always get a retainer. When I called the attorney back, I told him the hourly rate and that I required a $500 retainer before taking the case. He said, "No problem." At this point I still didn't know where he had gotten my name.

When I arrived, the check was waiting. The attorney said, "I need you to locate an expert witness." I expected him to say he needed a nurse experienced in nursing home care, critical care or emergency. Instead, he said, "This is an excessive force case against the police department. I need someone trained in how to control people who are combative."

Was he serious? Yes. And he needed this person in 48 hours.

"I can do it," I said, without a clue how I would manage.

He didn't seem at all worried. "The nurse who gave me your name said you can do anything."

Now I finally knew who had referred me, the nurse I'd given the pen to, the nurse I'd run into totally by accident. That proved to me what I'd learned in Vickie's seminar, that people know attorneys. All you have to do is tell enough people what you're doing and ask them to pass your name along.

I remembered that my sister-in-law has a degree in criminal justice. I called her. She said, "What you want is a certified instructor in defense tactics for disturbed behavior." She even knew a couple of people who qualified.

Then I remembered a nurse from the VA hospital. Her husband is a police officer who is certified and has won awards in using a baton to subdue. I called him and he agreed to be a witness.

Within 24 hours I had not one but three expert witnesses to fulfill my commitment to the attorney. He was so impressed, his response was, "I want you on my team."

Only Four Attorneys Keep Me Busy

Walking through my attorney-client's building, I recognized other attorneys. I'd seen them in the news being interviewed about their high profile cases. One of these attorneys stopped by my client's office while I was there. Two days later, she called me. She had intended to use a nurse she knew on a case, but after hearing about me had decided I was the better choice. I ended up with a big case on nursing home abuse.

Now the word is out. Every time I turn around, someone says, "We hear you do such a good job. When can you consult with us?"

I work with four attorneys, and that's keeping me busy. I can handle that many by managing my time well. In only a year I've just about replaced my nursing salary – and I earned a very good salary.

I'm amazed that I was so afraid of getting started. Vickie tells us exactly what to do – and it works. When I bumped into my friend and gave her that promotional pen with my phone number, without thinking I was following Vickie's advice, "Just do it." The nurse passed my name along with a terrific recommendation, and my CLNC^® career snowballed.

None of this would have happened without the CLNC^® training. When I was at the CLNC^® 6-Day Certification Seminar, still suffering with chronic shoulder pain, Vickie's positive message came through loud and clear. Even with my traditional nursing career dead, I didn't have to sit at home moaning, "Poor me. My life is over." I owe my new life to Vickie, not only to her excellent training but also to the inspiration that comes from just being around her.

Cheryl L. Bennett, RN, BSN, CLNC is president of C. Bennett Consulting and Associates, LLC in southern Indiana. Her cases as a consulting expert have varied from use of excessive force by a police officer to nursing home abuse and neglect.

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