Review charts as a physician expert witness (legal medicine)

Many physicians have found that they can review medical charts and earn supplemental income as a physician expert witness. Some people think that they may need to testify in court, but this does not happen very frequently. We all know that many cases get settled outside of court. If you'd like to be a medical consultant for attorneys, then you should pursue a career in the field of legal medicine. 

One way to get started in the field of legal medicine is to add your name to an Expert Witness Directory. For example, SEAK has an Expert Witness Directory and they offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee. Here's what they say:

If at any time within 8-months after the publication of the first Directory in which you appear you are not completely satisfied, you may request and receive a full refund of your standard listing fee.

Let's take a look at what it means to be a physician expert witness. Here's what the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has to say about being a physician expert witness:

1. The physician expert witness must have a current, unrestricted license to practice The physician expert witness should be fully trained in the medical specialty or area of practice about which he or she is testifying.
2. The physician expert witness must have current clinical experience in the medical specialty or area of practice about which he or she is testifying and during the two-year period immediately preceding the occurrence which led to the lawsuit, such person must have been actively engaged in clinical practice in the medical specialty or area of medicine about which he or she is testifying.
3. At least one physician expert witness for the plaintiff and one physician expert for the defendant should be in the same clinical specialty as the defendant physician. (1989) (2009 COD)

Interested in legal medicine? You may want to learn about the American College of Legal Medicine (ACLM)

The Mission of the American College of Legal Medicine is to “promote the continued professional advancement of its members, as well as non-member physicians, and other interested professionals, through education, research, publications, and interdisciplinary and collaborative exchanges of information. The educational meetings are designed to improve the professional performance of the participants and focus primarily on research, methodologies, techniques, and issues and advances in the field of legal medicine. The education activities encourage interdisciplinary exchanges of ideas and information and thereby facilitate enhanced service to society in the healing arts and legal professions.”