Forensics and Law Enforcement

I wanted to post while the experience is fresh...

I just had the opportunity two days ago to attend an autopsy,

I have to say how fortunate my class was to get to sit in on this, considering our instructor is 30+ years into the profession having never seen one herself. Moreover, I feel blessed with the Coroner's enthusiasm to teach us. What a great way for us to pull some pieces together post-didactic, and outside of the hospital setting. To see the physical viscera is an experience every nurse should have, whether they go into forensics or not, and what an experience!!!

After reading so much about how real time forensic nursing is not what you see on television, I can't convey how deflating it feels, as I'm sure some of you know. I am here to tell you that it can be exactly like that. I will admit that I live in an area that was devastated by Katrina, and the facility where we observed was erected afterwards, with all the hindsight to make it disaster friendly. Needless to say, it is a technologically advanced, state-of-the-art facility. Having said this, it isn't the facility that made the experience, but it didn't hurt. What made the experience is staring into this patient's body cavity like it was the greatest jigsaw puzzle I will ever solve. Taking the pieces apart so that, ultimately, I can make sense of how they all fit together to foster the perfect environment for death... was... amazing - I have goosebumps just writing about it.

The coroner fielded our questions like a champ, and afterwards, I had an opportunity to discuss the field with him in terms of nursing. I asked him if he's seen a rise in forensic nursing in this area and he shared with me his disappointment with the contrary, explaining that most of the investigators are law enforcement. He said that it makes more sense for him to use nurse investigators because they understand the language and the reporting is more accurate. It takes less time to train a nurse in the field of law than it does to train law enforcement personnel in the field of medicine. I asked him about how to move forward if I was interested in becoming a nurse investigator, and he said I would work for him, and not the government. He said if he had a choice he would hire a nurse over government-appointed investigators. It gave me such a high to finally have a solid idea of how to move forward, because as I've mentioned before, the career path in this field is so vague.

I really wanted to share this with all of you who have no idea where to start. Start at your local coroner's office. It appears they would be more than happy to have you onboard, if the dark side is where it's at for you. I hope this helps at least a little. Good luck to y'all, and please share your experiences getting into the field, if you are already on the dark side.