Is your job ever dangerous?

[StayOrthostatic]

First things first, I apologize if this is a repeat of another thread (I'm really not sure).

As is stated in the title, is forensic nursing ever dangerous? Have any of you ever been placed in a scary situation - by patients, crazy family, criminals, or government workers?Forensic nursing is very interesting to me, and as much as floor nurses are assaulted, I'd still like to be in a relatively safe field. I'm familiar with the wide range of forensic nurses (SANE, investigation, medical examination, etc.).

Maybe I watch too many crime shows On these shows, it seems like anybody seen at a crime scene will be attacked or followed by the perpetrator(s).

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Hi... hope a nurse with Forensic experience can answer your questions. One of my RN friends works at a PA state hospital on incarcerated unit without issue for 15 years.

[ElizaRN-FNE]

I work in a hospital setting as a forensic nurse. I have never been in a position where I felt unsafe. At times, I need to travel to other area hospitals to perform a forensic medical exam on patients and I am always escorted by law enforcement. I also conduct suspect exams and always have law enforcement with me. You never have to do anything you are uncomfortable with. If I am having some safety concerns with one of my patients, I would perform their exam in the emergency department and not take them back into our private exam room. I could possibly see a safety issue for forensic nurses working in the community but assume they always have some sort of legal or law enforcement agent with them. I would definitely never go anywhere alone. Hope that helps!

[zayrhia]

I work in a hospital setting as a forensic nurse. I have never been in a position where I felt unsafe. At times, I need to travel to other area hospitals to perform a forensic medical exam on patients and I am always escorted by law enforcement. I also conduct suspect exams and always have law enforcement with me. You never have to do anything you are uncomfortable with. If I am having some safety concerns with one of my patients, I would perform their exam in the emergency department and not take them back into our private exam room. I could possibly see a safety issue for forensic nurses working in the community but assume they always have some sort of legal or law enforcement agent with them. I would definitely never go anywhere alone. Hope that helps!

If you provided the exam in the ER -assuming you mean the bay rooms-wouldn't that be an issue with privacy, cross-contamination and possibly chain of custody?

[ElizaRN-FNE]

Hi Zayrhia!

It is very rare that the examinations are performed in the ED but when they are I have no concerns about the above mentioned. Privacy is not a concern because I will alert the ED staff when I am performing an examination and I have never had an issue with anyone walking in. There are doors in my ED that shut completely. Cross-contamination is not a concern because the rooms are properly cleaned between each patient. I believe that if there were concerns about cross contamination, it would be an issue with the evidence collection procedures of the nurse rather than the cleanliness of the room. Lastly, the chain of custody has nothing to do with where the examinations are performed. I never take my eyes off of my evidence and kit. I would never leave the room without my evidence in hand. Performing the exam in the ED would not change the way in which I treat my evidence, therefore, chain of custody is never interrupted. I hope this helps you. Thanks for the inquiry!