Monday, November 25, 2019

How to become a legal nurse consultant

How to become a legal nurse consultant These days, it’s cool to be a hyphenate- you know, like actor-activist, graphic designer-herbalist, or dentist-beekeeper. Basically, people who have strong professional skill sets in multiple areas are highly sought after, as industries look for employees who are versatile. And when you throw in healthcare, possibly the hottest industry around, you’re getting into very marketable territory. If you’ve ever found yourself trying to combine nursing skills with a bit of legal eagle expertise, then we might have a new career path for you: legal nurse consultant. What does a legal nurse consultant do?Legal nurse consultants (LNCs) are specialized nurses who provide medical expertise to people or groups who handle legal issues, like lawyers, court officers, lawmakers, insurance companies, or government agencies. For example, in a lawsuit or court case where the defendant claims he was injured, a legal nurse consultant might be brought in to assess the defendant’s medical records or testify about a particular kind of injury in general. Or if an insurance company is investigating the validity of a person’s claim, the legal nurse consultant might be called in to share expertise. Basically, a legal nurse consultant can be the bridge between the legal and healthcare worlds.A legal nurse consultant’s responsibilities may include:Reading and interpreting medical records/historiesWorking with attorneys to draft legal documents with medically sound informationProviding background medical researchInterviewing clientsOffering advice and medical insight to legal professionals about particular health issues or nursing practices in generalConsulting on healthcare legislationWriting reportsTestifying in court as a witnessLegal nurse consultants are often hired directly by law firms, government agencies, insurance companies, nonprofits, healthcare facilities, or forensic laboratories. There are also legal nurse consulting firms that employ LN Cs and have them work with clients on a consultant basis. LNCs may also go into business for themselves, setting up direct client relationships. They may work part-time (balancing legal duties with other nursing jobs) or full-time, depending on the employer. About half of LNCs are directly employed by private institutions, while the other half are independent contractors.What skills do LNCs need?Legal nurse consultants need to have two very strong skill sets: medical/clinical and legal. After all, their work depends on having expertise in both areas. While nurses do need strong hands-on patient care skills in general, the skills needed for this specialty tend to be more administrative in nature.Critical thinking skills.  Legal nurse consultants are responsible for analyzing medical data or situations, and applying it to a very particular legal context. So the LNC should be good at making connections, seeing patterns, and recalling details in order to solve a problem or create a na rrative.Organizational skills.  In both healthcare and the legal world, there’s little room for sloppiness- mistakes can endanger someone’s health or livelihood and affect the outcome of binding legal judgments. So an LNC needs to be able to organize information accurately and efficiently, particularly when it comes to written documents or medical records.Clinical skills.  Much of the job is providing current, accurate medical expertise, so it’s important for the LNC to have a strong medical background. If the nurse already has a specialty (like elder care or pediatrics), it’s also essential to stay on top of developments and trends in those fields, even if he or she isn’t actively practicing as a nurse anymore.Knowledge of legal terminology.  A legal nurse consultant isn’t an attorney, but he or she needs to have as good a grasp on legal terminology, as well as medical terminology, in order to work most efficiently with legal professi onals and provide high-quality consulting.Communication skills.  Being a legal nurse consultant is often a public-facing role (like when testifying in court), so being able to communicate effectively is essential. A legal nurse consultant’s reputation is based on the reliability of their information; so he or she should be able to present information clearly and authoritatively, with clean speaking and writing.What do you need to become an LNC?The main starting point to become a legal nurse consultant is a nursing degree and certification. You need that clinical base before you can specialize. At a minimum, legal nurse consultants have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, plus certification as an RN (which means passing the NCLEX and getting licensed by the state). States can have different requirements, so be sure to research what your particular state requires to become a registered nurse.This is also not an entry-level specialty for nurses. Most legal nurse consultants have at least five years’ experience in nursing practice before becoming a consultant. After all, you have to build expertise before you can share it with others and be an authority.If you choose to specialize in this area, many nursing programs offer training classes to develop the necessary legal skills. And although certification isn’t necessarily a requirement for working as a legal nurse consultant, many employers prefer to work with nurses who hold a certification from the American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board (ALNCC).How much do LNCs make?This can be a very lucrative career path for nurses. Most legal nurse consultants work on an hourly basis, with LNCs employed by law firms or private companies typically billing $60-100 per hour, and independent consultants typically billing $65-200 per hour. LNCs may also be able to charge premium fees for providing expert testimony, with average fees ranging from $150-200 per hour for these highly specialized s ervices.What’s the outlook for LNCs?Very bright indeed. Healthcare and nursing jobs are growing exponentially as it is, and legal changes to the healthcare and insurance industries are providing even more openings for nurses with this extra layer of legal expertise.If you’re looking for a nursing specialty that lets you reach outside the medical field and maybe even add a little legal drama, then becoming a legal nurse consultant could be a lucrative, challenging, and productive choice for your next career steps. Good luck!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Jazz Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Jazz Review - Essay Example They also accompanied it with basic tunes and chords outlines of soloist. The organization at the concert also contributes to it success since the band arrived in time for the event to be a success as they had planned with the hall manager. Most of the instrumentalists were middle age men who seemed to be more experienced and from the look of things it was clear that what they would deliver would be mature enough for the attending audience. The situational emotion was therefore transferred to lyrics, sounds and beats hence becoming jazz music. The advantage Mafia Jazz band had was that during this period of time, freedom was granted to all in members in that they were able to contribute in the lyrics as they play their musical instruments. This made them sing without getting tired. Jazz music is an art that does not require books, websites or even to be written on the paper for performance. It entails composing the music anywhere anytime of the day. It does not apply the use of all t he musical rules but it all about creativity of an individual so as to pass the intended massage accompanied by other musical instruments. ... This genre of music is more of emotional concern than the intellectual. This is because its effects to the listeners. From the live concerts, it’s clear to depict its effects to be spiritual out of its composition and performance to the audience. Jazz unique distinctiveness improvisation exemplifies other forms of music which requires the listeners to get the information rather than the personal connection of what is being delivered by the performer while on stage or any form of recorded medium. Other than jazz, most kinds of music involve the listeners during performance as written by the composer on stage. Jazz attracts most listeners into a deeper perspective with involvement of audience when each phrase is created. Jazz music on stage is new at all stages this is because the composer uses the time available to make the song a success and relief the listeners of their stress and days hard work. The passion of jazz is derived from the orchestral sonorities thriving on the mu sical instruments diversities. This makes it more different from other classical music that strive to obey the rules of music. In American culture, jazz is considered as the most significant kind of music expression due to its outstanding outcome to music as an art. Jazz is presently adorable all over the world even though it originated from a smaller land in the United States of America. People appreciate this form of music since it motivates an individual besides its energetic performance by an artist. This has made this genre to evolve and seek different levels of artistic delivery. With this improvement, it has given rise to many different jazz styles. Jazz music gives one a life experience and emotion due to its creative inspirational force and discourse that show chronicles story of

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Linguistics - Essay Example How do word-deaf patients cope and how they understand and comprehend important ideas and concepts. â€Å"Pure word deafness (PWD) is a rare auditory disorder that is characterized by a selective deficit in comprehending spoken words, while the identification of nonverbal sounds remains intact.† (Zhu, et al., 2010, p. 843). This is a form of brain damage that makes it challenging for a person to comprehend words that are spoken to him or her. Pure word deafness is characterised by a selective problem of accessing language sound patterns and word forms (Rickheit & Strohne, 2012). This means that the sound patterns and variety of words presented to a person suffering from this condition are not understood by such an individual. This is distinguished from cortical auditory deficit by the fact that pure word deaf persons can hear and comprehend music and environmental sounds (Kaga, 2013). Thus, by implication, pure word deaf patients can hear and understand music as well as environmental sounds around them. However, they cannot hear words spoken to them by a third party. Pure deafness is scientifically known as Auditory Agnosia for speech and verbal communication (Feinberg & Farah, 2012). This expresses the difference and inconsistency in comprehension of verbal discourse and the lack thereof of verbal auditory recognition. â€Å"The underlying problem of a person with word-sound deafness is at the stage of extracting the phonetic features from the speech input such that the patient has problems discriminating between widely variant words (the severe form) or between similar sounding words† (Ingram, 2014, p. 166). This means that the person with word deafness has some challenges in decoding the phonetic and sound elements of speech and cannot sort it out for onward interpretation and understanding. Pure Word Deafness is caused by a brainstem lesion which is a complication that often comes with

Monday, November 18, 2019

Nursing Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nursing Assignment - Essay Example (Delaune 2006, p. 4). Female nurses, on the other hand, dominate the nursing profession. Females are also the gender being first thought by the public when nursing profession is being talked about. Both of these gender reported inequalities in different health care settings in terms of strength, knowledge and skills, as well as salary issues. But of all gender-related equality issues, the effect of Florence Nightingale to the image of nursing profession affects the male population more. Men have fared in a profession traditionally dominated by women and most of the male population suffered from gender inequality. Most of the nursing care during eleventh to thirteenth centuries was rendered by men. It was not until late nineteenth century that females dominated the nursing profession. Florence Nightingale created a big impact in excluding men from the field of nursing. Nightingale’s work had proved that nursing is a profession fit for the female discipline. Florence Nightingale left behind the contributions of men in nursing and view men’s role as physical support aid or a patient’s assistant. The Industrial Revolution also plays a role in the exit of men from nursing. During this time, science-related profession such as medicine shall be taken by the male population and nursing to the female population (Chitty 2005, p. 71). In late 1800, Mills Nursing School for Men in New York and McLean Asylum Training School in Massachusetts were the first two nursing schools established for men. The only field being considered for them is psychiatric nursing because this requires strength and stamina. In 1901 and 1908, the US Congress established the Army Nurse Corpse and Navy Nurse Corpse. However, this was restricted to women so men find it difficult to enter the military nursing. In addition, during 1941, only 68 out of 1,303 schools accepted men as nursing student (Chitty 2005, p. 71). After World War II, the efforts of men to join the field of nurs ing were recognized. GI Bill helped to increase the number of male students by providing funds for education and training. Men entering nursing schools increase after the World War II. Men have truly suffered from gender inequality It is evident from nursing leaders influence, public perception, school discrimination, and military restrictions. In the contemporary age, there are also cases of gender inequality throughout the world but there are no restrictions for male nurses in whatever field in nursing they would like to take. Men can choose from several nursing schools today without fear of being rejected. The public also views both men and women as part of the nursing profession with men, being equally caring, competitive, and compassionate as women. Gender inequality issues still occur in some areas but with the influence of contemporary era, cases reported were minimal. Nursing profession of today does not look into gender differences but to the knowledge, skills, and motivati on related to nursing care. Nursing Image: Professional Nurses Dress Code The professional nurses’ dress code reflects the nursing image. During the early times, one can easily distinguish a person belonging to the nurse profession. But now, the public found it difficult to know who exactly are the registered nurses. The New York Training School for Nurses at Bellevue Hospital was the first school to adopt a standard uniform for student nurses. In

Saturday, November 16, 2019

How Effective is Congress as a Legislature?

How Effective is Congress as a Legislature? Among the world’s most successful democracies is the United States, whose system of checks and balances has seen more successes than failures. A system constantly in flux, the American form of government is divided into legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Of these branches, perhaps the one whose efficacy is most challenged is the Congress, the only branch directly representing the interests of the people (the judiciary is appointed by the executive, which in turn is selected by an electoral college comprised of the legislative). Recent developments in the world stage, in addition to the changing face of American politics and domestic interests have tested the bounds of Congress as well as its ability to function as a check against the executive. Most glaring of its purported shortcomings, however, is its legislative powers. Today’s Congress is most impeded by partisan agendas, traditional bureaucracies, and conflicts of personal interest in its daily machinat ions. No matter its inefficacies, however, â€Å"it cannot be argued that there is a permanent or necessary connection between representative assemblies and liberty†[1]. In an unusual political paradox, it is Congress’ existence despite its countless failures as a legislature that makes it a successful legislative body, and in doing so, makes the United States a successful democracy. As a bicameral entity, Congress is effective in balancing partisan interests with voter interest. Following serious reform after the 1994 GOP blitzkrieg spearheaded by Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia), the two legislative bodies continued down their own respective paths. As they â€Å"adjusted to [GOP] reforms, the two chambers took divergent paths and by the late 1980s†; power in the House had â€Å"centralized under a stronger majority party leadership, whereas the Senate continued as a highly individualistic chamber†[2]. Pursuing an amalgamation of partisan as well as regional constituent interests, the Congress is currently highly effective as a representative legislative body. Recent evidence of partisan splits manifested themselves in the Dubai Ports World fallout and the clash over President Bush’s Guest Worker Program, in which Republican interests revealed the separation earlier delineated. Even in seemingly single-party administrations such as the current Bush administration find themselves in check, its constituents conflicted over interests of the people and goals of the party. The White House has encountered responses varying from wholesale rejection such as Dana Rohrabacher’s (R-California) of the Guest Worker Program to Peter King’s (R-New York) attempted compromise of the failed Dubai Ports Deal initiative. In the sense of sustaining the esteemed tradition of checks and balances, the Congress has proven itself as successful in comparison to the state of Congressional affairs â€Å"in the 1950s, [when the largely ineffective House and Senate were commonly characterized as rigid feudal systems ruled by a small number of powerful committee barons†; today, â€Å"they [are] more often depicted as anarchies where members participated on their own terms and without restraint† owed to executive partisan allegiance[3]. It can be effectively argued, however, that the phenomenon of single party conflict is primarily reactionary in nature, a statement that reflects detractors’ sentiments that Congressional legislation is effective only when there is time to accommodate the bureaucratic machinations that are both Congressional hallmarks and weaknesses. In defense of the American Congress, however, the same ineffectual tendencies can be said of any representative law-making body. All â€Å"representative assemblies [such as Congress]† are ineffectual and â€Å"inherently unfit to be primary political institutions in a technological mass-age† that commands urgency; Congress is regarded by some to be legislatively â€Å"anomalous† not only in their â€Å"inescapable defects as political institutions† but also in â€Å"their characteristic virtues†[4]. Domestic polity may not require urgency or the consolidation of a rushed majority, but in an increasingly globalized environment, the individual temerity and trivial maneuvers of constituent consolidation render Congress alarmingly impotent as a body politic. In his On the Hill: a History of the American Congress, Alvin Josephy asserts that the same Congressional bureaucracy that maintains its plebiscitary nature hampers legislation and â€Å"periodically angers taxpayers, further eroding the prestige of the legislature and served to stultify Congress by deadening its vitality and aggressiveness amid the enervating trappings of a privileged bureaucracy†[5]. Some scholars purport that â€Å"to date, the American Congress, though fallen, is not dead†[6]. However, in drastic times that call for speedy resolution, the American government has reconciled itself to the removal of its bureaucracy in the nullification of Congressional workings. The War Powers Resolution, though designed to limit the President’s power to wage war without Congressional approval, is still bounded by the simple fact that Congress is removed from the equation. There would be no purpose for such an act if Congress established itself as decisive or effective in its legislation. Congressional efficacy has eroded over the last four administrations, stumbling over its own feet in the establishment of a requisite two-thirds majority in order to reign in the executive branch. Despite recent demonstrations of power, the â€Å"congressional curb on the executive has been potential, for the most part, in recent years,† its capabilities seldom â€Å"direct ly [or] wisely applied†[7]. Conditional clauses such as those of the War Powers Resolution are designed to render the Congress as powerless as possible; even the 60-day statute of limitation binding the duration of the War Powers Resolution are contingent upon a time the President deems fit. Granted, more moderate alternatives exist, and past attempts were made to remedy the mounting problem of bureaucratic functional delays. Independent committees were created to handle different fields in legislation. For example, current congressional committees include the committees on foreign relations, security, and military appropriations exist. The number of committees is limited so as to facilitate decisive action. Unfortunately, attempts such as the limiting of committees to abate the morays of bureaucratic management â€Å"came to nothing when both houses began to create numerous subcommittees and special committees†; the goal of â€Å"helping members of Congress in their w ork was corrupted by an unprecedented expansion of questionable emoluments and perquisites for Senators and Representatives [sic]†[8]. Further divisive in their truncation, Congress proved vastly ineffective as a legislative body, most notably due to a loss of functional perspective. The mentioned committees, subcommittees and special committees serve as little more than mediocre shows of power. For example, a minority Democrat Congress may propose several subcommittees so as to facilitate a platform for display of legislative efficacy. If, for example, several smaller committees exist, their individual victories would provide more substantial political capital and momentum so as to provide for a future Democrat Congress. The current immigration reform failures of the Bush administration exemplify the type of fertile political ground established by smaller victories. Larger issues such as the war in Iraq and the treatment of so-called â€Å"enemy combatants† in the curr ent War on Terror that would erstwhile cost Congressional credibility are overshadowed by the successes of smaller committees, whose numerous victories debase presidential and GOP reliability in the eyes of the taxpayer (and more importantly, the swing constituents that won a Republican Congress in 1994). Political aspirations are thinly veiled by legislative action in Congress, which has yet to strongly assert itself in pressing issues of the current administration. There is no doubting the necessity of Congress, no matter its shortcomings. As â€Å"part of the advance of democratism in belief and practice, a plebiscitary or numerical majority comes to seem the only proper expression of the sovereign general will†[9]. No matter the inefficacy of Congress as a legislature, its existence as a legislative body is the prerogative of the people who formed it. Politically speaking, Congress is little more than a forum used to trumpet partisan goals and achievements. The struggle between the two-party American political systems is, however, manifested in legislative wins and losses, no matter how nominal. It is in this mode that Congress is effective—American Congress is effective as a farcical stage in which political dominance is procured through a series of legislative initiatives. Congress’ devolution as a legislature â€Å"seems to be correlated with a more general historical transformation toward political and social forms w ithin which the representative assembly—the major political organism of post-Renaissance western civilization—does not have a primary political function†[10]. Essentially, if legislation is meant to hasten the workings of a democracy, Congress is impotent as a legislative body. However, if the success of Congressional legislation is measured in its ability to marginalize partisan interests, then Congress is not only effective but the most necessary tool in a representative body. Today, Congress’ relegation to a reactionary bureaucracy renders it a â€Å"rubber stamp, a name and a ritual, or an echo of powers lodged elsewhere†[11]. The bicameral legislature, then, is merely a formality, and if treated as such, is a success and for the most part an effective system. Its â€Å"bureaucratic democratism† is in such a mode â€Å"an indispensable instrument of its managerial rule†; the goal, therefore, is not to pass legislation, but to expos e the choices and leanings of those involved in decision-making so as to better acquaint respective constituents with their selections in future elections[12]. The more obtuse failures of the United States Congress have been those that occur in the maintenance of equal distribution of governance among the branches of government. The legislature has oft been expressed as a puppet of the executive, â€Å"unwilling to abolish any of the important newer agencies, bureaus or programs of the executive branch; but by reasserting the power of the purse it still might do so, and this the bureaucracy must keep, however scornfully and reluctantly, in mind†[13]. In its reactionary state, Congress is rather successful as a legislature, albeit lacking in initiative and any means of preventative measures. Congress’ legislative powers endow it with the constantly renewed ability to â€Å"inform citizens about the conduct of the bureaucracy, no matter how closely the executive† guards said information[14]. Some indeed argue that Congress would be more effective as â€Å"a political appendage of the executive which, after a certain amount of verbal ritual, and without genuine debate, invariably and predictably approved the executive’s proposals by a unanimous or close to unanimous vote†[15]. However effective this would render the act of legislation, it would cease to be democratic and hence become decree. The act of legislation is, in and of itself, defined by bureaucratic inefficacy. What most refer to as bureaucracy, others refer to as consensus. Congress’ failures and glaring inefficiencies are its only measure of success; the more unanimous (or what is perceived to be unanimity) the action, the less evidence exists of any real debate or public consultation. The Truman administration, for example, was an instance in which Congress’ legislative efficiency revealed little more than a diminished democracy led by pandering to executive governance. The lack of real legislation during the Cold War was not in the failure to change, but the failure to pass any sort of legislation in Congress that would curb a) hawkish defense spending, and b) presidential liberties in unilateral action. It is indisputable that Congressional powers have diminished, but the diminution of Congressional efficacy reflects its success as a legislature. Bureaucratic bodies such as Congress exist to hamper decision-making, as slowing the process prevents autocracy. If measuring the ability of Congressional legislation is an evaluation of its polity and ability to effectively maneuver without fear of retribution or disagreement, then Congress is a complete and utter failure. However, if the success of Congressional legislature is measured by the amount of bureaucratic stalling and arguments between parties vying for dominance that can never truly exist, then the stasis created would render erstwhile legislative failings as hallmarks of democratic success. BIBLIOGRAPHY Burnham, James. (1965) Congress and the American Tradition. Chicago: Henry RegneryCompany. Josephy, Alvin M. (1975) On the Hill: A History of the American Congress. New York:McGraw-Hill, Inc. Zelizer, Julian E. (2004) The American Congress: The Building of a Democracy. Boston:Houghton-Mifflin Trade and Reference. Footnotes [1] Burnham 338 [2] Zelizer 625 [3] Zelizer 625 [4] Burnham 345 [5] Josephy 369 [6] Burnham 337 [7] Burnham 339 [8] Josephy 369 [9] Burnham 334 [10] Ibid [11] Burnham 337 [12] Burnham 338 [13] Burnham 339 [14] Burnham 400 [15] Burnham 341

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Choosing a Career Path Essay -- building management

Never once was there a doubt in my mind that I wasn’t going to college. But the question as to what career path do I want to pursue was always the hard part. When declaring my major, I had no idea that Michigan State had so many different options. My original major was pre-law, and then it was general management, now I’m leaning towards construction management. I watched â€Å"A Family That Preys† by Tyler Perry, and one of the characters was a construction manager. Like a child, watching this movie persuaded my decision to go into this field. I didn’t declare this as my first major because I was uneducated on the field, so I went with a major that I knew about. I am only in my second semester of college and I have changed my major twice. My uncle has been very successful and he has greatly inspired my choice of continuing my education. He was a successful insurance agent at state farm, and then went on to owning his own insurance company. Even though he i s in the insurance field, he is going back to school for trucking and looking into construction as well. One night we sat at my grandmother’s dinning room table and discussed my future career plans. I told him that I was interested in construction management but I was uneducated in the field so I didn’t change my major yet. I need to educate myself about being in the construction field by reading books, interviews, magazines, etc. The name construction management in itself sounds like a hand full, there’s no question that pursuing this major will be a lot of hard work and dedication. When I looked up the course requirements, the requirements reinforced my preconceived notations about this field. Calculus, microeconomics, and accounting, sounds scary and they are only 3 of the 120 cr... ...MSU RO:Academic Programs: Construction Management." MSU RO:Academic Programs: Construction Management. Michigan State University, 23 Aug. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. Perry, Marjorie A. "Marjorie A. Perry - About." Marjorie A. Perry - About. Marjorie Perry, 02 Nov. 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. . "Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. . "Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program | SBA.gov." Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program | SBA.gov. The U.S. Small Business Administration, 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. .