AALNC Webpages

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Legal nurse consultants at trial



Dear AALNC Members,

We, as legal nurse consultants, know the value we can bring to medical legal cases and claims.  Attorneys who have worked with skilled LNCs also recognize and appreciate us as crucial assets and vital members of the legal team.

Take, for example, the recent bellwether product liability trial involving Ethicon transvaginal tape obturator (TVT-O) system.  This case resulted in a $3.27M verdict!  AALNC Director-at-Large Debbie Pritts, an in-house, board-certified LNCC© for Wexler Wallace LLP, was an integral member of plaintiff’s legal team in the courtroom.  Her contributions played a direct role in their favorable outcome.

Another example, on the defense side, is a recent dental malpractice trial in which I assisted my firm, Fontaine Alissi PC.  Plaintiff alleged that a routine dental procedure caused him to suffer the onset of trigeminal neuralgia and asked the jury to award nearly $3M.  A defendant’s verdict was returned after only a few hours of deliberation!

What recent success has one of your attorney-clients celebrated?  How did you add value and contribute to that favorable outcome?

Warmly,
Julie Dickinson
President, AALNC
860-208-6670

Monday, September 8, 2014

AALNC & ALNCCB board meetings



Dear AALNC Members,

This past weekend, the AALNC Board of Directors and the ALNCCB (certification board) met in Chicago for their respective in-person board meetings.  Each board had an exciting and productive weekend full of thoughtful analysis, brainstorming, and strategic planning.

In addition to several exciting announcements that will be forthcoming in the next few weeks, we are thrilled with the initiatives we’ve planned for 2015, and we cannot wait to share those with you!!  These initiatives are aimed to further the association’s strategic goals, assist members to be successful in their practice, and continue positioning AALNC as the premiere association for legal nurse consultants.

Pictured below is the AALNC Board at the end of this energizing weekend!  Please see http://www.aalnc.org/?page=BoardofDirectors and http://www.aalnc.org/page/ALNCCCertBoard/
for more information about the AALNC and ALNCCB boards.



What recent AALNC program/initiative have you been most excited about and how has it assisted you in your practice?  I’m interested in your comments, so please share your thoughts!

Warmly,
Julie Dickinson
President, AALNC
860-208-6670

Sunday, August 3, 2014

News and Initiatives



Dear AALNC Members,

I spoke at the Denver Forum of how our association is indebted to the countless volunteers who have made AALNC what it is today.  It is through the hard work of such dedicated individuals that I can share with you the following exciting news and initiatives:

1.  AALNC’s Code of Ethics and Conduct with Interpretive Discussion was updated this year.  At least every three to five years, such documents put forth by AALNC need to be reviewed and, if necessary, revised to ensure they remain current for the specialty practice.   See the announcement on AALNC’s homepage for a link to the revised AALNC Code of Ethics.

2.  As part of the AALNC Board of Director’s ongoing effort to support local chapters, a new Chapter Leader Discussion Forum was created on the AALNC website.  This new resource offers a way for chapter leaders to communicate directly with each other to share experiences, pose questions, explore ideas, etc.  Chapter leaders: to access this forum, sign in to the AALNC website and select “Groups” under “My Profile.”

3.  The “Ask an LNC” column on the AALNC website is a new member benefit designed to answer frequently asked questions about working in the legal arena, the management of medical-legal tort claims, and/or the specialty practice of legal nurse consulting.  This resource is not only valuable for newer LNCs but also for experienced LNCs who have questions about a different practice setting, etc.  To view this column, click “Ask an LNC” from the menu bar on the left of AALNC’s website.  New questions and answers are being added regularly, so check back frequently!  To pose a question, email info@aalnc.org.  Answers are provided by an experienced, board-certified LNCC. 


Warmly,
Julie Dickinson
President, AALNC
860-208-6670



Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Exhibiting at American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA)

Dear AALNC Members,

This year, our association is exhibiting for the first time at the American Health Lawyers Association's annual meeting in New York City.  AALNC Board members Susan Carleo, RN CAPA (Director at Large) and Varsha Desai, BSN RN CNLCP LNCC (President Elect) are representing our association.  As pictured below, they are educating the attorneys and other attendees about AALNC, the LNC Locator, and LNCC board certification.

























Warmly,
Julie Dickinson
President, AALNC
860-208-6670

Monday, June 16, 2014

Awareness Initiatives



Dear AALNC Members,


In my last blog post, I relayed that AALNC was exhibiting at the Critical Care Nurses’ conference in Denver.  Later this month, the association will be exhibiting at AHLA (American Health Lawyers Association) in New York City.  I therefore want to share more information with you about AALNC’s awareness initiatives, how they tie into the association’s strategic goals, and how they benefit the association and you, as members.


AALNC’s strategic plan contains two objectives related to awareness:  raising clinical nursing and legal/attorney awareness.  Both have benefits for AALNC members as well as for the association.


To further the first objective, the AALNC Board of Directors chose to exhibit at National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI/AACN) which was held in Denver in May.  Kim Beladi RN BSN LNCC, AALNC Director at Large, represented the association.  This event was attended by over 6,000 nurses from across the country, and Kim educated attendees about legal nurse consulting, AALNC, the LNCC© board certification, and much more.  In addition, Patricia Davis MSN RN, AALNC Director of Programs; AALNC Education Committees; Wendie Howland MN RN-BC CRRN CCM CNLCP LNCP-C LNCC, Editor of the Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting (JLNC); and the  JLNC Editorial Board are identifying ways our association can partner with clinical nursing associations on joint educational programing.  All of these clinical nursing awareness initiatives benefit the association by exposing potential members and/or potential customers to the specialty practice of legal nurse consulting and to our organization, mission, LNCC© certification, and various products and services.  Increased members and customers translates into enhanced networking opportunities at the Forum and in the LNC community, richer discussions on social media, more job opportunities (e.g. insurance companies, LNC firms, subcontracting), even greater educational opportunities, more results when using the LNC Locator©, etc. - all of which are valuable to AALNC’s members.


To further the second objective, AALNC will be exhibiting at the AHLA (American Health Lawyers Association) annual conference in New York City at the end of June.  Susan Carleo RN CAPA, AALNC Director at Large, and Varsha Desai BSN RN CNLCP LNCC, AALNC President Elect, will be representing the organization.  Comprised of over 12,500 members, AHLA’s focus is on legal issues in the healthcare field.  Because of the high concentration of attorneys at this conference who work on the types of claims in which LNCs can add value, exhibiting at this conference was an easy decision for the AALNC Board of Directors.  It offers the most return on investment for legal exhibiting, which is traditionally very expensive.  This is AALNC’s first time exhibiting at AHLA, and the Board is excited to see what opportunities and relationship may grow from this.  Furthermore, the AALNC Board will be strategically placing the LNC Locator© ad in legal publications and websites as an additional means to increase attorney awareness.  These initiatives help to promote our specialty practice and provide an opportunity to illustrate the value LNCs can bring to attorneys and their cases.  These, coupled with increased awareness and usage of the LNC Locator© tool, lead to more work opportunities for AALNC members.


Enjoy your summer!


Warmly,

Julie Dickinson

President, AALNC


860-208-6670