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Almost from day 1 as a nurse, Kathy McGinn, BSN, RN, LNCC, felt strongly about making patient advocacy a central element in her care regimen. Hence, it was no surprise the specialty of legal nurse consulting soon became her passion - and her career.
Today, McGinn is senior legal nurse with a staff of six nurse case managers at a Newton, MA-based law firm. The nurses' main focus currently is helping parents seeking legal help because their baby may have suffered a birth injury.
"Everybody who calls is searching for answers," McGinn explained, noting birth injuries can range from mild to severe to life-threatening or death. "We see a lot of cerebral palsy cases and Erb's palsy. In situations where the pregnancy was normal and the parents expected to deliver a healthy baby, but instead delivered a baby with a compromised condition, we may find the case requires further investigation. At issue is whether the delivery was handled appropriately."
Need Is Great
The client base of the firm, Sokolove Law, is nationwide, and it is looking to add legal nurses because "the need is so great," McGinn said.
"Our nurses are very busy, which is sad because it indicates many parents need our help. We gather relevant information when a potential client calls with questions, then transfer that information in a medically accurate way to co-counsel.
"We are the initial ones to deal with the client. Just as a hospital-based admitting nurse learns everything the care provider needs to know to treat the patient accurately, we learn what medical information the attorney needs in order to accurately evaluate the potential claim," she explained.
Once the information is put into the hands of co-counsel, that lawyer decides whether he wants to further evaluate the potential claim.
Recruited by Sokolove Law more than a year ago to develop a staff to deal with "anything medically based," McGinn said she "stumbled" into the field nearly 20 years ago after seeing an ad promoting a legal nurse consultant seminar in Connecticut. She attended, and shortly thereafter found her first job with a plaintiff law firm after working several years in traditional hospital-based positions.
On 'Front Line'
McGinn says the nurses' role at Sokolove Law is unique. Where, traditionally, legal nurses review medical records of clients, "here we're really on the front line talking with clients - the first person to whom the clients tell their story. We want the nurse/client interaction to be the first one because medicine is at the base of the case. We know the nurses will gather the correct information."
In addition, "Ten times out of 10 they can give clients [at least] a degree of satisfaction," she continued. This can run the gamut from clients telling their story for the first time, to giving them access to the civil justice system, to being empowered to make tough decisions.
It's patient advocacy at its best.
Bette Mooney is a frequent contributor to ADVANCE.
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