Nurses asked me to create a video to tell them why I created JurexNurse.com. Thank you for asking. I’m honored to it.
In 2006, I founded JurexNurse.com so that legal nurse consultant certification could be both comprehensive AND affordable. As an attorney, I have handled hundreds of legal matters where there was a need for properly trained and certified legal nurse consultants. I answered that need by creating the Professional Legal Nurse Consultant (PLNC) Certification course.
I must first back up and tell you WHY I became a Registered Nurse (RN). When I was 15 years old, my mother was in a car accident. After two months of hospitalization she passed away. It’s because of this experience that I chose the nursing profession. At Vanderbilt University, I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and I immediately started practicing pediatric nursing. From there, I went into psychiatric-mental health nursing.
After getting my Master of Science in Nursing at Vanderbilt University, I taught pediatric nursing as well as psychiatric-mental health nursing prior to entering law school.
At Vanderbilt Law School, my goal was to combine my nursing and legal background to help nurses reduce their liability. Having accomplished that goal defending nurses in medical and nursing malpractice cases, I joined Johnnie Cochran at The Cochran Firm – Memphis (now called Morgan & Morgan) until his death.
As an attorney, I founded JurexNurse.com because I saw a huge need for nurses to be properly trained and certified as Professional Legal Nurse Consultants (PLNC). JurexNurse.com was founded on the mission (below) we still hold today.
Mission The mission of Jurex is to provide high-quality, flexible, and affordable certification training to nurses to allow them to assist attorneys in medical-legal cases. It is our goal to train each nurse to be a professional, dependable, and valuable part of the legal team. Through certification and ongoing training, we seek to keep nurses on the cutting edge of developments in the medical-legal field.
Giving back to the nursing community is IMPORTANT to me! Through volunteering during this pandemic to helping with the pro bono legal needs of individuals, this is my way of saying thank you for the opportunities that nursing and the law have provided to me.
P.S. If you’d like to become a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant (PLNC), go here.
You’ve just earned a UNIQUE certification, which means…You are UNIQUELY-Qualified to fulfill your PURPOSE! PURPOSE means to you’ll rise up and meet the challenge. Take HOLD of your PURPOSE!
Be INSPIRED about your PURPOSE!
Today’s Job Market equates SPECIFIC SKILLS to: Having…an EDGE! A step HIGHER! Remember…before anything ELSE…Take a MOMENT to reflect on what YOU now OFFER! It’s WITHIN you – and will INSPIRE you, when you REACH INside.
After Dreaming about YOUR PURPOSE…it is time to:
ON-Purpose:LIVE YOUR Dream!
Reflect on these INSPIRED quotes: “Look and you will find it-what is unsought will go undetected.”…Sophocles
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”…Marcus Aurelius (121-180)
FOCUS on your PLNC Career
WHERE YOU FOCUS your eyes…To that Level…YOU will Rise!FOCUS suddenly DAWNS on YOU…When You SHAKE-OFF: Your Yesterday and Your Tomorrow…AND JUST…FOCUSon RIGHT NOW.
ON-PURPOSE…Open WIDE: YourEYES and simply ALLOW YOURself to: Be IN the PRESENT Moment.You will be glad YOUdid.
BREATHE IND E E PL Y, and ONLY Think about this GIFT…called: YOURPLNC Certification!
Reflect on these FOCUSED quotes: “People only see what they are prepared to see”…Emerson, Ralph Waldo
“Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.”…Confucius
Be ready to RISE! YOU’VEr e f l e c t e don yourPURPOSE and your FOCUS.Now it’s TIME TO:RISE!
RISING and PUTTING yourP L A N intoACTIONN O Wis…v i t a l.TheL O N G E Ryou WAIT…to Rise-UP andL I V EYOUR skills and talents…the HARDER it is too f f e rYOURgift. Even WHEN youR E A L L Ywant to…it isE A S Yto find distractions.
Like…getting BACK on-TRACK afterI N D U L G I N Gin: UNhealthy UNnutritious UNsightly food in our INsides. There is not aP E R F E C Ttime.Just like…there are no PERFECT people.
SO…to stay on Y O U Rtrack in YOUR life…take a DEEP breath,S H A R Eyour BEST smile –
A N D…
*Be INSPIRED about yourPURPOSE…
*CATCH that FOCUS..
So…NOW Y O U are
*READY to RISE.
“If you can imagine it you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”…William Arthur Ward
“Dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows.”…Henry David Thoreau
You want to do something more with your nursing skills, but you’re not sure what. You want to do something more with your life, but you’re not entirely sure what would make you happy (and earn you money). Who do you listen to?
Here’s the best advice I ever received: Do something. Take one step in the direction you want to go even if you’re unsure. Even if you’re not 100% positive. Just go. Go forward in the direction you BELIEVE will take you forward.
I owe this way of thinking to my grandmother of blessed memory. Gaga. She told me, after my mother passed away when I was quite young, “Throw your heart over the bar, and your body will follow”. Gaga was a sage. Gaga had street sense. Gaga had a beautiful heart. Gaga had what it took to survive in a post-Depression era world and beyond.
Stop asking yourself how you’re going to accomplish the task. DO the task.
The “why” is more important than the “how”. You can ask others “how” to accomplish your dreams, your goals, your end-game. But, you have to know “why” you want it to begin with.There are so many temptations out there. Distractions. People, or things, that will take you off course. Stay the course.
It’ll become more clear. Don’t look back. Look forward in the direction you want to go.
Let’s look at this example. You’re a Registered Nurse. You graduated nursing school which was no small feat. Then, you took and passed the National Boards and you’re licensed. That’s another huge accomplishment. But, you want to do something more. Get your PROFESSIONAL LEGAL NURSE CONSULTANT (PLNC) CERTIFICATION!!
I did. I’m so happy I went further in my career AND used my nursing skills to achieve it. You can, too!
YOU can fast track your nursing career. You can combine nursing with the law.
You’re already reading medical records. Earn money doing it as a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant.
No matter what you want to accomplish, you need to heed Gaga’s advice. Take the step. Stop holding your own self back. There’re are plenty of people out there who’ll hold you back. People who don’t want change, and certainly don’t want you to change.
Keeping the status quo must seem easier, but it’s not. You’re yearning for more. You deserve more.
If you stay doing what you’re doing, you definitely will NOT attain your dreams. Step out a tiny bit and reap the rewards.
I did. You can. Take one tiny step.
Stop telling yourself “I can’t” and tell yourself “I can”. You can do one thing right now to advance your career.
Others have done it. You can, too.
What’s the best advice I ever received? Thanks to Gaga, I’m doing right now. I’m “doing something” that I want and loving it.
Thank you, Gaga, for your wisdom, for your love, and being our special grandmother.
It’s a scary world out there. Not just because of Covid-19, but every day has its own challenges.
Being a nurse has historically been considered a “safe” profession. But, when you’re working as a nurse, are you truly in your COMFORT ZONE?
If you’re not currently in your comfort zone, why not try something a tiny bit outside of it? Reap the rewards of taking on something and ACCOMPLISHING IT!
Here are your four steps to walking outside your COMFORT ZONE and loving it:
Specifically, what do you want to conquer? Become more introspective. What skeletons do you have in your closet that you want to get rid of? Write/type them out so it’s crystal clear to you.
Tell yourself you can survive DISCOMFORT. We all have difficult times in our lives, days, weeks, months. Life can be viewed as half comfort and half discomfort. That being said, we have to learn to live with the discomfort half. Once you accept that, you’ll actually be ready to EMBRACE it.
Take tiny steps to get outside your COMFORT ZONE. Just like you learned how to walk as a toddler, take it one step at time. Voila! What if you actually find that you can do it?
We all make excuses for why we can’t step outside our comfort zone, whether that be in our current nursing job, or in our lives in general. Gosh, think about how much you could’ve accomplished if you just went for what you really wanted instead of holding yourself back?
Ask your future self these questions:
What will I tell myself about why I went for something I really wanted?
What three things are holding me back from achieving what I want?
Is there someone else who has what I also want? Did I reach out to them?
Have I made excuses along the way? What are they?
What do I need to do in order to feel I “accomplished” my goal?
Going outside your comfort zone is difficult but achievable. Tell yourself you can do it. You’ve followed through on difficult decisions before. You have achieved great things. You know you can do it.
My mother, of beloved memory, used to say to me “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are”. That was her way of saying that the people you hang out with affect you. Not just your reputation, but your friends or buddies can impact what you accomplish in life.
Hang out with people who are achieving what you believe is success. Those who are willing to travel outside their COMFORT ZONES to achieve their dreams.
Our most recent blog post on how you, as a nurse or Professional Legal Nurse Consultant, deal with your own mental during this pandemic received such a hugely warm response. We’re sharing all y’alls ideas on how to take care of ourselves during these unprecedented times.
It’s no secret that Covid-19 has taken a large toll on our emotional health. Being in nursing during a pandemic has affected us trifold: at work, home, and in the wallet.
We, at Jurex, set out to find out ways you, as nurses and PLNCs, take care of yourself.
We were greeted with a flood of self care ideas. We’re sharing some of the highlights here.
Listen to a nurturing podcast EVERY DAY. “It helped me so much when I was discouraged that I began sharing it with others. They listened and started subscribing”.
Bath time. “Nothing more relaxing than being in a hot bath surrounded with candles, rose pedals, add bubble bath, soft music with the lights off or down low, and a glass of wine!!!”
Meditation and/or prayer. “These can be super important to self care”.
Laughter. “Laughter is a great ingredient. Also, finding at least a little time to talk to an old friend just to check on each other can be refreshing”.
Listening to music. “I especially like to listen to my favorite songs on repeat so I can get in ‘the zone’ or listen to my playlist”.
Pamper yourself. “Taking a day to pamper yourself is fabulous cause you have to be kind to yourself”.
Exercise. “Walking counts as exercise. How about a walk, especially after a meal, in your neighborhood?”
#SelfCareSunday. “I found this hashtag online and I wanted to share it with all my nurse colleagues and Professional Legal Nurse Consultants”.
Read. “My tablet doubles as my bookshelf. I can make the font bigger so it doesn’t strain my eyes. I end up getting sleepy, which my body must need”.
Journal. “I write down only the things I’ve done. It’s such a feeling of accomplishment”.
Take a short nap. “Sometimes I have to take a nap during my break at work. I’ll divide the time in half: eat then nap. I usually feel refreshed (but not always)”.
Clean out a closet. “When I finished cleaning out my front hall closet, I felt so accomplished. You would’ve thought I had just earned my degree”.
Binge watch a series. “There’re so many great series out there to watch. I check which ones are trending and I’d recommend starting with the #1 series this week”.
Bake something. “The house smells so good whenever I bake something. I wish I could bottle that smell”.
Move while watching TV. “Stand up during commercials and move. Any movement will do”.
Drink water. “I bought myself a beautiful big water bottle and now I love to drink water out of it”.
Go outside. “Nursing requires you to be inside so much. Whenever I can, I go outside and just take in the sites and sounds of nature”.
Get a pet. “A furry friend can make all the difference”.
Lastly, as one PLNC said “We are in complicated times, but our approach to it matters! By making a change from within ourselves, we may be able to carry on ourselves and help each other”…
P.S. Let’s continue to help each other out. Pass along this link to your nurse friends here.
Whether or not you practice as a nurse or Professional Legal Nurse Consultant (PLNC), you’re affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s no way around it. Have you checked in with yourself to see how you really feel?
Take 10 seconds RIGHT NOW and ask yourself, “Self, how do I really feel?”.
We, as nurses, are more vulnerable to emotional distress, according to The New England Journal of Medicine as we have the risk of exposure, worry about infecting others, caring for our loved ones, longer work hours, and may have shortages of personal protective equipment, to name just a few of our concerns. Add to this, the vaccination roll-out and its complexities, and nurses are ripe for emotional distress.
Myriad other pandemic factors also weigh heavily on us as health care providers. No matter one’s political, or apolitical views, directives including safer at home, quarantine, and financial situations all impact our mental health.
Check out these Mental Health Strategies to help you throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic (and beyond):
Be KIND to yourself. Say what? It’s worth repeating. Be KIND to yourself. If you’re not, who will? Consider this adage: Being kind never goes out of style.
Don’t skimp on your sleep. It may be super hard to implement a sleep schedule, but you need to consider it. Going to bed at all hours, depending on your nursing shift or schedule, can wreak havoc on your body.
You might not fall asleep and stay asleep, but rest. Count sheep. Deep breathe in and out. Four counts on the inhale and six counts on the exhale. Do this four times.
Make healthy food choices. There’s a diet for this and diet for that. We’re well aware of that in our nursing profession. Nutrition choices do matter. Not just for our patients, but for US.
The quality, quantity, and timing of our food choices directly impact our bodies. We innately know this but, we’re too busy caring for others to think about this for own bodies.
Mobile Phones. We can’t live with them and we can’t live without them. It’s grown into a love-hate relationship. Maybe more love, but you know the drill. Limit your screen time.
Study after study shows how our screen time affects us. Plus, add the addiction component to it, and it compounds the problem.
ENOUGH. We must treat our own self with the respect and dignity we give to others.
Be positive. Be realistic but be optimistic. The pandemic tide is turning and being hopeful, confident, and pragmatic will go a long way toward enhancing your beautiful nursing life.
Get the mental help you need. There’re Employee Assistance Programs provided by employers out there. Mental health professionals abound, especially with telehealth.
Let me ask you, as a Professional Legal Nurse Consultant (PLNC), if you were reading a patient’s medical records and spotted signs of emotional distress, wouldn’t the standard of care include a referral to a mental health professional?
P.S. Pass this link along to your nursing colleagues here.
