Forensic nursing
encompasses a body of specialty professions that serve unique and critical
roles to the health care and judicial systems. Forensic nurses might treat
assault victims, investigate crime scenes or provide health care in a
correctional facility. If the idea of a forensic nursing degree appeals to you, take a closer look at the aspects of each of the eight
specialty areas described below.
1. Correctional Nursing
Specialists
Correctional nursing
specialists provide efficient, quality health care to individuals detained by
the courts, including those in jail, prison, juvenile offender facilities and
other correctional institutions. Within these facilities, correctional nursing
specialists may tend to the sick, perform routine physical examinations and
administer medication to people with chronic needs.
2. Forensic Clinical Nurse
Specialists
Forensic clinical nurse
specialists hold a master's or doctoral forensic nursing degree and use their advanced training to
serve as expert clinicians, teachers, researches, 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.
3. Forensic Gerontology
Specialists
Forensic gerontology
specialists help investigate cases involving the abuse, neglect or exploitation
of elders and work to raise awareness regarding legal and human rights issues.
These forensic nurses typically work in hospitals, nursing homes and other
facilities dedicated to caring for the elderly.
4. Forensic Nurse Investigators
Forensic nurse investigators
uncover the circumstances surrounding an unexpected or violent death. Typically
employed in a medical examiner's or coroner's office, forensic nurse
investigators examine the body, study the scene, assist in autopsies and
collect medical and social history information on the deceased in order to
determine the exact cause of death. Forensic nurse investigators often work
with nurse coroners or death investigators.
5. Forensic Psychiatric Nurses
Forensic psychiatric nurses specialize in managing offenders with
psychological, social and behavioral disorders. They assess and select patients
for treatment, provide rehabilitative care and supervise a patient's actions
within the community. In addition, forensic psychiatric nurses may examine and
treat criminal defendants and assist colleagues who have witnessed assaults or
experienced some form of emotional trauma.
6. Legal Nurse Consultants
Legal nurse consultants aid attorneys working on civil cases
where the law and medicine overlap. Some of these situations might include
medical malpractice, personal injury, workers' compensation and probate. Legal
nurse consultants apply their forensic nursing education and clinical
experience to interpret, research and analyze the medically-related information
relevant to a case or claim, educating attorneys about medical facts and acting
as liaisons between attorneys, physicians and clients.
7. Nurse Coroners or Death
Investigators
Nurse coroners or death
investigators apply their nursing skills to crime scene investigations. As the
first forensic professional to arrive at the scene of a suspicious death, a
nurse coroner or death investigator analyzes the scene and examines the body in
order to approximate the time of death and find medical clues that might
explain the cause.
8. Sexual Assault Nurse
Examiners
Sexual assault nurse examiners
offer compassionate, prompt care to victims of sexual assault. Qualified
through a specialized forensic nursing education, they assess and
evaluate injuries that a victim has suffered; locate, collect and package
forensic evidence relevant to the crime; and provide information or referrals
regarding the victim's continued care. In the court room, sexual assault nurse
examiners represent the victim, serving as expert witnesses who offer testimony
based on their documented evidence.
Through their work and
dedication, forensic nurses have a profound effect on the criminal justice
system and the public at large. A forensic nursing degree can lead to a career
that makes a difference to health of the patients, the victims whose voices
they represent and the communities they improve as a result of their expertise
and compassion.
Sourced By : Deepak Kapoor
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