Forensic Nurse Essay

Forensic clinical nurse specialists hold a master’s or doctoral forensic nursing degree and use their advanced training to serve as expert clinicians, teachers, researchers, consultants and administrators in different forensic settings. They may work in emergency rooms, sexual assault examination programs, psychiatric forensic treatment units or death investigation teams. More often, forensic nurses work within medical facilities assisting patients who come into clinics and hospitals. Forensic nursing is a cross between a healthcare profession and a judicial system profession. Forensic nurses perform duties that are much more specialized than nurses typically perform. They have a variety of roles, including evaluating and caring for victims of assault, domestic abuse, child and elder abuse, neglect, and sexual crimes. As they treat the victim, forensic nurses collect and secure evidence. The nurses much ensure they follow the chain of custody so the evidence is documented and remains admissible in court. Forensic nurses may be asked to testify in court about the medical information and the evidence that they have collected. The main sub-specialty in forensic nursing, according to the American Forensic Association, is sexual assault. Other forensic nursing sub-specialties include death investigations, medical-legal …show more content…
Most registered nurses find success starting as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). To become a SANE, registered nurses must take a Sexual Assault Examiner class comprised of 40 hours of classroom training, followed by an average of 40 hours of clinical training, then taking a comprehensive exam. In addition to SANE training, aspiring forensic nurses may need to take forensic science-related courses, such as victimology, forensic mental health, perpetrator theory, and medical evidence