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When nursing meets the law

By Jill Jansen

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Graphic including photo of Carol Applegate and quote from the article

The value of a nursing education has no limits. Carol Steiner Applegate, B.S.N, MS.Ed., J.D., discovered this fact soon after embarking on her second career as an attorney specializing in elder law.

“It wasn’t something I planned, but once I got into practice, I could see how my experience as a nurse was really helping me,” said Carol, who graduated from the IU School of Nursing in 1971. “The two disciplines fit together so well, and my nursing proved to be such a great asset to my law practice.”

For over 20 years, Carol practiced elder law as a solo practitioner in Carmel, Indiana. The legal services she provided were directed at “life care planning”—working with families on everything from planning for caregiving, medical needs, and end-of-life to financial matters.

“With my nursing background, I was able to help families understand what to expect when someone was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease or had a stroke—providing information and then support for how they should prepare for caregiving,” Carol explained. “A lot of times when meeting with clients all I would have to say was ‘I’m also a nurse,’ and it instilled instant trust.”

After years of working as the director of nursing at hospitals in northeast Indiana and as a nursing instructor, Carol decided to pursue a law degree. A mother of two, Carol worked full-time as a risk management consultant for a medical malpractice insurance company during the day and attended law school 90 miles from her home at night.

“It was a personal goal for me, and I wanted to see if I could do it,” said Carol, who attended Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in Michigan. “I didn’t have family or anyone who had been in the legal profession, so this was branching out on my own.”

After graduating from law school in 1991, Carol and her children moved from rural Angola, Indiana, to Indianapolis. She opened a law practice in a small office near the square in Noblesville. While establishing her practice, she supplemented her income by working as a psychiatric nurse at Community North Hospital in Indianapolis. Seven years later, she moved her practice to Carmel and focused exclusively on elder law.

“Elder law was just starting to come into being as a legal specialization when I started practicing,” Carol explains. “When I made the move to Carmel, I decided to become an elder law attorney because I could see there was a real need for it.”

Serving more than 300 clients during her career, Carol dedicated herself to building longstanding relationships with families, many of which continue today.

“I always tried to take a holistic approach in advising and supporting the entire family—the one who needed the care, plus everyone that surrounded them,” Carol said.

Carol’s commitment to people and important issues extends to her support of nursing and her alma mater. At the IU School of Nursing, she was an adjunct professor, served two terms on the Board of Advisors, and was a member of the search committee for the school’s new dean in 2014. In 2020, Carol was awarded the Indiana University Bicentennial Award.

Since retiring from her law practice last year, Carol has built a home on land she owns adjacent to her former law office in downtown Carmel. She continues to be involved in the community and recently sponsored a conference on aging for Carmel citizens and city leaders. She has established the Carol Applegate Fellowship at Indiana University School of Nursing to expand educational opportunities for graduate students planning to become nursing faculty. Carol is a member of the Indiana University Arbutus Society and the Indiana University School of Nursing Ethel P. Clarke Society in recognition of her planned gift. Visit https://iufoundation.planmylegacy.org/arbutus-society to learn more about the Arbutus Society.

“I’ve been involved in nursing and the medical field in some way for my entire life, and I think it’s my responsibility to give something back and to pass that on.”

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