My childhood dream was to be Perry Mason. Always up for a fight, always got the last word, solving puzzles and winning. I initially went into nursing thinking that it would make me a unique applicant to law school.

When the time came, I decided to pursue graduate education in nursing. I earned my BSN and MSN degree with honors from the University of Pennsylvania; my work at Penn reinforced a strong work ethic and core values my family taught me.

From the start of my varied nursing career, I held consulting positions developing healthcare programs and speaking at seminars. This led me to a nurse manager position in a rehabilitation hospital involving business development and marketing, which I loved, and where I developed business skills.

While I was home having babies, I stumbled on a brochure for a seminar on legal nurse consulting and thought this would be a great niche for me since it added a little Perry Mason to my nursing skills. It worked.

I kept current clinically through working in Home Care and attending seminars. In my first experience as an expert witness, my report resulted in a $500,000 settlement. I was hooked.

I joined the American Association for Legal Nurse Consultants and eventually became their President and earned the credential Legal Nurse Consultant, Certified. This prestigious credential was earned by meeting an experience requirement and passing a rigorous test administered by the American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board.

I love being in business and I love being a legal nurse. The best things about legal nursing for me are the combination of nursing, medicine, and the law; the flexibility of an independent practice; and that every case presents a new and different challenge.

This profession has opened doors for me to develop personally and professionally, to give back to the profession I so love, and to be a little like Perry Mason.