Elevate Your Career by Making the Most of Your AALNC Membership
By Marjorie Berg Pugatch, MA, BSN, RN, LNCC
With the new year, fresh opportunities to grow as an LNC arise. Marjorie Berg Pugatch currently serves as the Membership Ambassador for AALNC. In this article, she discusses the many benefits of membership.
In 1998 I first learned about the specialty of Legal Nurse Consulting from a nurse-acquaintance. It was a time in my life that I was ready for a change and eager to explore this novel specialty. I had a soft spot for the law since my college days. The more I learned about legal nurse consulting, the more I wanted to use my nursing experience in the legal arena. One of my first steps was to join AALNC and take advantage of whatever they had to offer. Joining was just THE first step and I credit much of my career path to my ACTIVE hands-on membership. Fast forward to 2022 and the membership benefits are more, deeper and richer than they were back in 1998! Maybe you haven’t explored them all as yet or perhaps there is something new since you first became a member?
Why is AALNC membership so important? Why does AALNC want you to take full advantage?
In my opinion, the path from the clinical to the legal is bridged by networking with other LNCs, accruing relevant knowledge, learning how to prepare excellent reports and developing a CV that reflects a commitment to the specialty. By understanding each of these elements, one can use membership to the best advantage and that is what I want every member to do. Let’s start with networking. According to the Oxford dictionary, “it is the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.” There is no better way to network into an LNC career than through AALNC. There are many opportunities to network as part of your membership. One terrific way to meet other LNCs, is by attending the annual AALNC Forum where you will meet several hundred LNCs. I would also join AALNC’s on-line SIG (Shared Interest Group) listserv community to have on-going discussions with your peers. Another networking avenue is by volunteering on one of the association’s committees to work with other LNCs. By networking you can share your expertise, learn from other LNCs, make valuable connections and become part of the wider LNC community.
The next element is obtaining relevant knowledge to bridge the clinical with the legal. Knowledge is power and your membership can empower you if you work at it!
There is no better place to obtain legal nurse consulting knowledge than through your AALNC membership. AALNC’s list of resources is unparalleled and includes the offerings at our Annual Education and Networking Forum, our nationally recognized textbook, clinical series, courses, reference cards along with all the current and archived issues of the Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting. All resources offered for sale are discounted to members. The Journal is peer reviewed and is the only journal dedicated to legal nurse consulting anywhere. It is included with membership and now offers CEs for select articles.
The third element is learning how to efficiently review medical records and to craft excellent reports for the attorneys and entities that utilize LNCs. We all know that attorneys are the best wordsmiths around and they expect superior work products. Through AALNC product offerings, course work, membership-included webinars, your work product can become more polished and more valuable to your clients.
The fourth element is creating a CV that shows your dedication to our nursing specialty. How can your AALNC membership help you develop your CV? By now, you may recognize the many opportunities that your membership offers to make your CV your calling card. You can write for the journal and add this to your CV. You can list your AALNC committee volunteer work on your CV. You can prepare a lecture for the national Forum or for one of the AALNC webinars and include on your CV. The best aspect is that as a member, AALNC will support and assist you in all of these endeavors, because your success is our success.
I am almost done highlighting your AALNC benefits!
You can register on the LNC locator where attorneys and other entities can review your clinical and legal practice areas and contact you to discuss work opportunities. Yes, I obtained cases through the locator!
Members also have access to AALNC’s Career Center, an online resource that lists legal nurse consulting positions. I encourage you to sign up and set your personal alerts to learn about new LNC postings targeted to your interests.
Lastly, AALNC has the Member Affinity Program where companies offer discounts for professional products such as liability insurance and LNC-specific software among other products.
The role as Membership Ambassador was created for you. I am here as a resource for you to make the most out of your AALNC membership. Please, feel free to contact me with your questions, comments and concerns. AALNC is the only professional home for LNCs. It is your professional home!
Wishing you much success for 2022!
Margie
marjoriepugatch@gmail.com