Legal Nurse Consulting News: Hard Work, Is it Going Out of Style?
Monday, May 11, 2009
By Pamela Bertrand
Recently in a large metropolitan airport, I ran into a physician that I had worked closely with in the past. He was a surgeon and I was an operating room nurse. The first part of our conversation consisted of small talk and basically just “catching up”. Then this surgeon shared his take of the nursing profession with me. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the hospitals for not wanting to do more to hold on to the good nurses. His comment hit very close to home with me. It made me step back and take a look at what happened to me.
Is being a hard working nurse going out of style? After many years of working, I suddenly found myself unable to continue. My first thought was “Am I loosing it?” What’s happening? Why do I suddenly feel this way? I have been a hard working employee for 30 years and I can honestly say I enjoyed most of it. Why am I unable to continue now? What’s different?
I am a person who likes work and strives to do it well. About thirty years ago, employees were rewarded for good work. Now, good employees are passed over for promotions for fear that they would not be able to replace them. This is so not fair.
Shortly after I had dropped out of the hospital scene, I decided to work for myself. I wanted to limit it to just being a legal nurse consultant for medical malpractice cases because that would be within my comfort zone. But I followed the advice of Veronica and Ryan at RN Market and did not limit myself to medical malpractice. This advice has paid off. I applied myself and expanded my talents to include toxic torts, defective devices, giving expert testimony, preparing questions for upcoming depositions, preparing creative demonstrative evidence in or out of power point, jury selection, and sitting second seat in Trial.
I found it very easy to trade my scrubs in for business attire. However, trading the clipboard in for the laptop was much harder but not impossible. I wanted the appearance of my reports to look as professional as my physical appearance. I did not want to put the attorney to sleep when he reads my report and I did not want him to put the jury to sleep when he is presenting the demonstrative evidence that I have recommended and/or created for him.
Hard Work may be out of style in the hospital setting but not in my company. Every time I work hard and complete a case, I reward myself well and the Attorney hires me again for his next important case.
About Pamela Bertrand
Pam Bertrand is the owner and founder of P. Bertrand Consulting. She is a Registered Nurse and is certified as an Advanced Legal Nurse Consultant (ALNC) and Certified Product Safety Specialist (CPSS). Pam has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. She is highly skilled with over 22 years of clinical nursing experience. Pam currently continues to successfully practice as a medical legal consultant in Baton Rouge, LA and is one of RN MARKET's most successful nurses.
Recently in a large metropolitan airport, I ran into a physician that I had worked closely with in the past. He was a surgeon and I was an operating room nurse. The first part of our conversation consisted of small talk and basically just “catching up”. Then this surgeon shared his take of the nursing profession with me. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the hospitals for not wanting to do more to hold on to the good nurses. His comment hit very close to home with me. It made me step back and take a look at what happened to me.
Is being a hard working nurse going out of style? After many years of working, I suddenly found myself unable to continue. My first thought was “Am I loosing it?” What’s happening? Why do I suddenly feel this way? I have been a hard working employee for 30 years and I can honestly say I enjoyed most of it. Why am I unable to continue now? What’s different?
I am a person who likes work and strives to do it well. About thirty years ago, employees were rewarded for good work. Now, good employees are passed over for promotions for fear that they would not be able to replace them. This is so not fair.
Shortly after I had dropped out of the hospital scene, I decided to work for myself. I wanted to limit it to just being a legal nurse consultant for medical malpractice cases because that would be within my comfort zone. But I followed the advice of Veronica and Ryan at RN Market and did not limit myself to medical malpractice. This advice has paid off. I applied myself and expanded my talents to include toxic torts, defective devices, giving expert testimony, preparing questions for upcoming depositions, preparing creative demonstrative evidence in or out of power point, jury selection, and sitting second seat in Trial.
I found it very easy to trade my scrubs in for business attire. However, trading the clipboard in for the laptop was much harder but not impossible. I wanted the appearance of my reports to look as professional as my physical appearance. I did not want to put the attorney to sleep when he reads my report and I did not want him to put the jury to sleep when he is presenting the demonstrative evidence that I have recommended and/or created for him.
Hard Work may be out of style in the hospital setting but not in my company. Every time I work hard and complete a case, I reward myself well and the Attorney hires me again for his next important case.
About Pamela Bertrand
Pam Bertrand is the owner and founder of P. Bertrand Consulting. She is a Registered Nurse and is certified as an Advanced Legal Nurse Consultant (ALNC) and Certified Product Safety Specialist (CPSS). Pam has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. She is highly skilled with over 22 years of clinical nursing experience. Pam currently continues to successfully practice as a medical legal consultant in Baton Rouge, LA and is one of RN MARKET's most successful nurses.
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