What Happens In The World Of Forensic Nursing?
Forensic Nursing is a relatively new discipline within the medical world, and it is one that people generally don’t know a great deal about. It is essentially a form of nursing that combines the law and medicine. There are a number of separate disciplines within the umbrella term.
The majority of forensically specialized nurses work as sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE). The job involves collecting forensic evidence from a person who has been recently sexually assaulted. This should be done within 72 hours or evidence can be lost. Obviously this is a very traumatic time for the victim and the nurse must be able to minimize the trauma as much as possible, whilst still collecting evidence that might later go to court and help to get a conviction.
Forensic nurse investigators mainly work in coroners offices and medical examiners offices. They work with coroners to assist in autopsies and collect medical and social data about the victim to help determine the cause of death. These nurses are trained to recognize, collect and preserve evidence on wounds on the dead. Also on the living, where they must treat the wound to help healing, without destroying evidence.
Correctional Nursing Specialists are nurses who work in prisons and other correctional facilities . Their main job is to administer treatment to the prisoners when they are unwell. They also give routine medical examinations.
Legal nurse consultants work with attorneys on cases where there is an overlap with law and medicine. These nurses will interpret, research, analyze data and educate attorneys about medical facts pertinent to the case. They often work as liaison between the client and the attorney and sometimes other medical experts.
There are other areas of forensic nursing that can be practiced too, including Forensic psychiatric nursing and forensic gerontology in which nurse specialists investigate cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation of the elderly.
In all cases nurses are acting as advocates for the victims, sometimes nurses in this profession are required to testify in court. One of the most vital roles they offer, irrelevant of specialism is helping victims to recover emotionally and physically from the trauma that they have suffered, whilst protecting their human and legal rights.
Though there are a limited number of vacancies and training opportunities in this profession at present but with the high demand for the invaluable services this profession provides, that may change.
