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My little black book of LNC secrets - Learning Curves and Growing Pains
The solitary journey toward the unfamiliar can be painful and arduous. However, a good attitude, perseverance, accountability, and self-check corrections will eventually lead to confidence, street creditability, and growth.
When you think you have the hang of it - Each new step creates a unique gap in experience and skill which then snowballs into new possibilities, more questions to answer, and greater decisions to make. You begin a new cycle of resistance, start feeling uncomfortable again, and devise reasons to stay where you are or throw in the towel.
I have been there countless times as a #registerednurse and #LNC.
The back-and-forth tug-of-war of embracing the new chapter, learning curve, skills, and feedback is often accompanied by feelings of ineptitude and/or triumph.
As a new #LNC, I devised a plan to tackle one learning curve at a time when I first started. I asked myself, what is the most important foundational building block in this line of business? REPORT WRITING. I need solid report-writing skills to add value to any legal nurse firm or attorney clients. If I don't add value, I won't find work.
What makes a good report, then?
- Format/Flow
- Concise, understandable analysis of the medical records
- Include the necessary legal elements within the report
- Time management
- A self Q/A with little to no corrections to make
- A slice of humble pie
After three years in the #LNC world (still a newbie), I have had plenty of opportunities for learning curves and growing pains. The little black book in the photo below is covered front to back with corrections, advice, mistakes, preferences, and do's and don'ts for every case, attorney, legal nurse, and project I have ever worked on. I have had some form of a black book for every position I’ve held from Triage to Trauma to answering telephone’s.
I like to think of it as my batting average. Strikeouts, singles, doubles, triples, home runs, and grand slams. I keep it on my desk and refer to and add new information when necessary. This book reminds me of all the times I struck out or moved the runner to the next base.
I remind myself that everyone is at a different stage of entrepreneurship, skill, and curve. Achieving competency in legal nursing is crucial to your success; you can only get there with the proper training, attitude, humility, community, cases, and confidence to see it through!
Don't give up, don't be knocked down, adjust, and get better - be undeniable.
I hope this helps someone - we all start somewhere!
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