Type Of Business:
Legal Nurse Consulting services
Expertise:
35+ years nursing includes expertise in Trauma, Critical Care, Medical/Surgical, Operating Room, PeriAnesthesia and Endoscopy specialties/
Major Product/SVS:
Legal Nurse Consulting services
Favorite Business Publication:
Colorado Law Association, Critical Care Nursing, Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing, Society of Trauma Nursing, American Journal of Nursing
Hobbies/Sports:
Skiing, Hiking, Fly-fishing
Education Degrees:
Associate Degree in Nursing, Spokane Community College (1979)
Affiliations Awards:
National Alliance of Certified Legal Nurse Consultants, Colorado Bar Association, American Nurses Association; Society of Trauma Nurses, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, American Association of PeriAnesthesia Nursing
Place of Birth:
Spokane, WA
State/Country of Origin:
WA
Date of Distinction:
12/6/2011
Work History:
Surgery Center of Fort Collins, Fort Collins, CO
Los Gatos Surgery Center, Los Gatos, CA
Santa Teresa Kaiser Hospital, San Jose, CA
Notre Dame Preparatory Academy, Pontiac, MI
Clarkston Ambulatory Care Clinic, Clarkston, MI
ProCare One, Inc, Detroit, MI
Oak Harbor Hospital, Oak Harbor, WA
Swedish Hospital, Seattle, WA
Naval Air Station Hospital, Whidbey Island, WA
Trident Regional Hospital, Goose Creek, SC
University of South Carolina Medical Center, Charleston, SC
DePaul Hospital, Norfolk, VA
Straub Hospital, Honolulu, HI
Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, WA
Career Achievements:
Director of Nursing, National Certification as Legal Nurse Consultant, Charge Nurse in Stroke Level III Hospital, Project Manager, Author of Rapid Response Scenarios and Co-Facilitator of same, Peer Review Specialist for physician overview, Infection Control survey compilation, Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification, Pediatric Advanced Life Support Certification, Mediation Certification
What do you feel separates you from the rest of the professionals in your industry?:
35+ years as an accomplished nursing professional with high standards.
What has been the most outstanding thing you have done thus far in your career?:
Adapting to new and challenging environments.
How would you like to be remembered by your peers?:
RN who delivered unparalleled nursing care and now translates that expertise into the legal forum as an advocate for lawyers and clients.
If you could solve one problem in the world today, what would it be?:
Hunger
If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?:
John F. Kennedy because I would love to hear his perspective on life and what specifically motivated him to success.
Throughout the duration of your career, what was the one highlight that stood out the most?:
One of the highlights of my career was having the opportunity to write the scenarios for the Rapid Response System in the California Kaiser Hospital System. This was a revolutionary program that was created to prevent life-threatening crisis by utilizing trained team members who were called in emergent situations. This team consisted of ICU Charge Nurses, Respiratory Therapists and Nurse Managers who assessed the patients, initiated treatment and averted respiratory and cardiac arrests. I was also honored to co-facilitate the training of the Santa Teresa Hospital staff on all Rapid Response Protocols.
Charity:
Larimer County Food Bank
Number Of Years In Profession:
35
Number Of Years In Current Position:
1
What Does He/She Attribute Success To:
She attributes her success to her hard work and vision.
Why did you become involved in your profession or industry?:
Sandi's grandmother was a nurse and she wanted to continue the family tradition.
Extended Bio Profile:
Ms. Leffel started as a ward secretary in a large teaching hospital, and went on to become a Licensed Practical Nurse and Registered Nurse. She has performed her nursing duties in eight states and has worked in 14 institutions, functioning in all capacities: Intensive Care Unit, trauma, cardiac, emergency and Operating Room, and ambulatory care. She has served in positions ranging from staff nurse to director of nursing, and she is familiar with the hospital hierarchy. She has owned Leffel Nurse Consulting, LLC, since May 2011. This consulting firm conducts presuit clinical record reviews for liability exposure, organizes medical records, facilitate the expedient retrieval of information, and identifies missing medical records. It also works to detect tampering by scrutinizing handwriting and assesses alleged damages and injuries by highlighting unforeseen comorbidities or pre-existing conditions. The firm prepares comprehensive medical analysis reports, conducts literature research, assists in interrogatories, and locates medical expert witnesses who can strengthen cases. It then prepare persuasive demonstrative evidence to help the judge and jury understand the complexities of the case. Leffel Nurse Consulting, LLC, specializes in unusual occurrence litigation, misdiagnosis, failure to timely diagnose cancer, late diagnoses, medical malpractice, surgical injury, pathological and radiological errors, personal injury, pharmaceutical product liability, infectious diseases.
Position Responsibilities and Duties:
Working with attorneys on medical cases; Screening cases for merit by investigating medical records utilizing teaching and speaking skills to translate complex medical information into layman’s terms, overseeing standards of care, policies and procedures, locating expert witnesses to testify concerning nursing and medical issues.
Education Certifications:
Certified Legal Nurse Consultant
Certification in Mediation
Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certification
Pediatric Advanced Life Support Certification
Awards/Honors:
Chosen by Cambridge's Who's Who as a Professional of the Year.
Where Will You Be In 5 Years:
In five years, Ms. Leffel intends to become recognized as a leader in legal nursing.