Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are Advanced Practice Nurses who provide care to patients throughout the lifespan, from premature newborns to the elderly.

NPs can prescribe medications, including controlled substances, in all 50 states. In 25 states, NPs have authority to practice independently.

They perform comprehensive and focused physical examinations; diagnose and treat common acute illnesses and injuries; provide immunizations; manage high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and other chronic health problems; order and interpret diagnostic tests such as X-Rays and EKGs, as well as laboratory tests; prescribe medications and therapies, perform procedures, and educate and counsel patients and their families regarding healthy lifestyles and health care options.

First, you have the experience of a Registered Nurse that brings to the table years of experience working in a hospital setting. RNs are familiar with Standards of Care, Policy and Procedures, and can decipher even the most hideous handwriting.

Second, Nurse Practitioners add a higher degree of patient care. Nurse Practitioners can write prescriptions and make medical diagnoses. Nurse Practitioners are not Doctors, but the experience of mid-level care they provide adds another facet of knowledge to your case. (See what is a Nurse Practitioner).

Finally, our Legal Nurse Consultants that are RNs and Nurse Practitioners have the training and experience to review medical records as an RN, as a Nurse Practitioner, and as a highly trained Legal Nurse Consultant.

Wolf Legal Nurse Consultants, Inc. is owned and operated by a Nurse Practitioner Legal Nurse Consultant. We only hire Advanced Practice Nurses with specialized training in Legal Nurse Consulting.

Additional information about the various types of NP practice can be found at the following websites:

• National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
• Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health

A Legal Nurse Consultant is a Registered Nurse, or in our firm a Nurse Practitioner, who uses their years of experience and education in the medical field to provide comprehensive reviews and analysis of medical records and medical-legal issues. Legal Nurses can act as a fact witness or locate expert witnesses for testimony. Nurses receive advanced training in the area of medical record review and can provide valuable information to attorneys, insurance companies, government agencies, healthcare organizations, and other organizations.

Legal Nurse Consultants review and analyze medical records, detect tampering in medical records, offer assistance with or create demonstrative evidence, evaluate medical information, and provide professional nursing opinions regarding the causation of injuries and the assessment of damages to individuals. Legal Nurse Consultants can interview witnesses under the direction of an attorney to help expose the truth in cases.

Legal Nurse Consultants provide reports and other presentations to their client to help determine how to further find the truth in the case at hand. Legal Nurses can also recognize signs of tampering within the patients’ charts and records to cover up mistakes.

An Expert of Medical Legal Specialties includes education and certification in the following sub-specialties:

• Advanced Legal Nurse Consultant
• Certified Legal Nurse Investigator
• Certified Product Safety Specialist
• Forensic Criminal Evidence Analyst

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) are registered nurses or Nurse Practitioners who have completed specialized education and clinical preparation in the medical forensic care of the patient who has experienced sexual assault or abuse.

One component of the streamlined care the SANE can offer is the comprehensive medical forensic examination. This exam at it’s broadest is composed of the medical forensic history, a detailed physical and emotional assessment, written/electronic and photographic documentation, collection and management of forensic samples, and providing emotional and social support and resources. The SANE also testifies in any legal proceedings related to the examination and ensures the proper chain of custody and integrity of the samples is maintained so that the evidence will be admissible in court.

The SANE often collaborates with other disciplines in the community who provide unique services to sexual assault victims. These may include: advocates, law enforcement, crime lab personnel, child protection and attorneys. These professionals are also striving to assure that the response to a patient who has been sexually assaulted in their community is victim-centered and compassionate, resulting in a successful criminal justice response.