May issue of CITATIONS - Ventura County Bar Association

8 CITATIONS • MAY 2011TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS: NURSING AND LAW Continued from page 7to lawyers when they really need help, butthey actually trust nurses. Nursing hasconsistently been named the most trustedprofession in the Gallup poll. Lawyers,on the other hand, rank 16th – but stillhigher than members of Congress and carsalespeople.Both professions may involve dealing withpeople at their worst. Nurses care for patientswho are physically ill and cranky; gettingsick, in my opinion, has never improvedanyone’s personality. However, attorneysalso deal with messy situations and clientswho are not pleasant or sympathetic. Andjust as attorneys are limited in their abilityto permissively withdraw representationof a client, once a nurse accepts a patientassignment, he must not abandon hispatient. Nurses have cared for both shootersand their victims in the same ICU. I oncecared for a cancer patient who told me calmlythat the reason he had knocked out two ofhis wife’s teeth was that he “had to teachher.” Although I was repulsed by his actionsand attitude, I continued to care for him.As difficult as that may be, we are remindedthat just as every accused person deserves avigorous defense, every sick or injured persondeserves excellent nursing care.Of course, there are differences in the twoprofessions. Nursing involves hands-oncare and except for some hand-holding, lawdoes not. A client consulting an attorneyis not usually required to disrobe, which isprobably a good thing. Still, she may findherself exposed in other ways once she startssharing information with her attorney.In the end, this is probably where the twoprofessions converge. Both afford us theprivilege of serving people in their mostvulnerable moments, and both allow us to beinspired by the resiliency of the human spirit.So what is an old oncology nurse doing as anattorney? Well, it’s been a long strange trip.The short story is that I was recruited awayfrom clinical practice to work for Amgenand found myself after a few years in theRegulatory Affairs Department, where I wasfrequently involved in negotiation with theFDA about new products. The FDA, as youmay know, is significantly under-resourced,but it has lots of lawyers. It seemed to methat I should go to law school myself so asto level the playing field. I did not intend topractice as an attorney but to acquire moreskills to help me with my work. Then, whenAmgen downsized, I was offered moneyto leave and I did, but by that time, I hadfallen in love with the law as I fell in lovewith nursing.Now I teach nursing part-time and practicelaw part-time. I try not to confuse the two,but sometimes I tell my disability client toput his legs up to reduce the swelling andI always tell my nursing students to carrytheir own malpractice insurance. And still,I continue to do what I’ve always done –work toward the best possible outcomes formy clients.Carol Mack is a nurseand an attorney withan elder law practice inVentura.FAMILY LAW AND PROBATE DISPUTE RESOLUTIONSResolve Litigation Issues Quickly and EfficientlyLEONARD ALEXANDERMediator/Arbitrator• Certified Family Law SpecialistCalifornia Board of Legal Specialization• Over 40 Years of Litigation Experience -AV Rated• Thirteen Years Served as Probate Referee for Ventura County• Court Appointed Expert - Family Law Disputes, BusinessValuations, Discovery Referee• Flexible SchedulingONE BOARDWALK, SUITE 200THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91360PHONE 805-497-0802 • FAX 805-494-7898E-MAIL: acmw.la@verizon.net