I'm a Forensic Nurse! I want to help you with some of your questions. I have been a nurse for 30+ years and for the last 8 pre-K(Katrina), I worked in a Level 1 Trauma Center. For all of you out there wondering if you are a Forensic Nurse(FN for short), ask yourself:
Do I work in an ED?
Do I work with pts who have OD'd?
Do I work with OB pts?
Do I work in a clinic?
Do I work in a Plastic surgeon's office?
I could go on, but if you work with PATIENTS, you will undoubtedly encounter those with forensic needs. Learning what you can do for them is where Forensic Nursing knowledge comes in. Anytime you have a case where POTENTIAL legal implications exist is a forensic case. It is the intersection of law and medicine.
I didn't go to Kaplan, although someone said my name was on their site. They never asked my permission! And I would be very leery of any school that tries to pressure me into attending. I do have a friend who completed the California Riverside distance learning courses. She would have told me if there was something amiss there. By making these last two statements, I am not endorsing either program. I haven't checked in to either of them, so I'm not qualified to do so.
I would encourage anyone interested in Forensic Nursing to join the International Association of Forenisc Nurses, or www.iafn.org.
I've been a member there for years and have learned so much. I do not have a certification or a degree in FN, in fact, I'm a Diploma nurse from way back. I became interested in Death Investigation in the late 80's, met Virginai Lynch at a time when FN was just a thought and a brand new concept. I have her book that yall mentioned and am using it now as a reference in a court case I have coming up. I'm doing Legal Nurse Consulting now and got my PI license.
Knowing what you're looking for when it comes to evidence and being able to collect and document it correctly is the key. Think about it: Is there something here that makes the story not match what I am seeing? what would happen if you threw away clothing from a hit and run victim that contained a peice of glass with the VIN number of the car that struck him? What about cutting clothing off a gun shot victim and using the bullet hole to start cutting? You know how, when you're folding clothes at home and you take it out of the laundry basket and give it a good shake? You don't that in a forensics case. You could be shaking trace evidence all over the room! You only have one chance to colect evidence! How about if you have a patient who died traumatically (an automatic forensic case) and his face is bloody and the family wants to see him to say goodbye? Do you wash his face and get him as presentable as possible? or let them come in the room with him as is, having security there with yall in the background and explain to them why he is being left as-is? Your prioities are two fold:
1. preserve evidence to be able to help the cops get the guy who did this, and 2. allow the family time to begin the grieving process. I would allow them to touch his hand while he is still warm if possible. do not allow them to touch any areas that may contain forensic evidence. I'm going to subscribe to this thread because there is so much to talk about here. I love teaching forensic nursing. No one falls asleep in my class! Ask me some questions and i will be happy to answer in the best way I can. Please note: my punctuation and capitalization are not always perfect, so please forgive, and if there's something that needs clarification, please let me know. yall take care now!
I'm looking forward to this forum. Who knows YOU might be the nurse with forensic knowledge that takes care of ME!
One more note about demand: JCAHO is requiring that every hospital have nurses with forneisc knowledge to bable to identify cases that meet foresnic criteria, so get on the bandwagon at your facility early!
I would be very interested in knowing more about the JACHO standard. Is there a link you could send regarding this new policy plan? When does it become effective? I've taken the Kaplan course in both LNC and FN and just completed our local SANE course (still have clinical requirements).
for the jcaho standards, here is what you need to know. i got this from doing a google search, it's apparently a proposal, but it contains the information you're looking for. i included the statement about the proposal because i thought it was also informative. some of the information (the standards) can be researched and used to persuade your administration to pursue adherance to standards, by utilizing your talents and advancing yourself professionally, increasing your own marketability and realizing just what an asset you are to the facility!
forensic science has been classically associated with investigations of suspicious or wrongful deaths. however, in the past decade, a new discipline, living forensics, has emerged, focusing on trauma survivors and the perpetrators of violent acts. this new forensic arena is germane to healthcare personnel in any setting, and bridges the gaps that have traditionally distanced them from law enforcement and the judicial systems. the requirement to educate nurses in the fundamentals of forensic science was firmly established in 1997 when the joint commission on the accreditation of healthcare organizations (jcaho) published its revised standards for patient assessment. the guidelines require that all staff members be educated to identify victims of abuse, violence and neglect, and be able to collect and safeguard physical evidence associated with a known or potential criminal act. the purpose of this proposal is to develop an asynchronous, interactive learning program for the world wide web, which will enable nurses and other healthcare personnel to identify forensic cases and to properly document and manage evidentiary materials.
jcaho core standards guidelines
e.s.5.1.0.1 criteria needed to identify possible abuse victims
ho.3.2.15
es.5.2.10.1.1 types of abuse to be addressed:
ho.3.2.15.1.1 physical assault
rape or sexual molestation
domestic abuse of elders, spouses, partners, children es.5.1.2.10.2 procedures for patient evaluation.
ho.3.2.15.2. patient consent
examination and treatment
hospital role in collection, retention and safeguarding of specimens, photos and other evidence notification/release of information to authorities
es.5.1.2.10.3 referral list of private and community based family violence
ho.3.2.15.3 agencies available through the hospital
es.5.1..2.10.4 medical records documentation to include examinations,
ho.3.2.15.4 treatment, referrals to other health care providers and community based agencies and required notification of authorities
es.5.1.2.10.5 requires appropriate staff to be trained in injury identification
ho.3.1.15.5 and procedures needed to work with abuse and assault survivors
nurse: the new role of the nurse in law enforcement
by: serita stevens
hey, i could recommend you this book. my forensics teacher gave it to me the day after he told me that there was such thing as fn (i think he gave it to me because i told him that i wanted to a nurse instead of a forensic specialist). it was a great book and it's mostly fn experiences'. i really became motivated when i read their stories.
good luck!
p.s
it's a rewarding career! i had the opportunity to shadow a fn.
Specializes in Hospice, Ortho/Neuro Rehab, camp nurse.
Hi everyone,
This is great. I just started looking into FN. I have been in Med/Surg for a little over a year and have learned so much. Lately I have seen many cases that would be considered for forensics. I also spent 8 years on a FD as an EMT, so there were many things I saw that could be incorporated into this specialty. Yesterday I went to the local police dept. and asked if they would be interested in using a FN, they outright told me NO, you should talk to the SANE nurses in town. Everyone keeps referring me back to the SANE nurses, that is only a small part of FN, and I am looking for the total package.
I live in a small community but the crimes are sometimes big for us, and I think a FN would be useful.
How, and who do I approach for this type of job? I was also told to go to Boston because they were a city and that's where they need FN. I disagree. I think they are needed everywhere. ANy thoughts on this. I am also going to joing the iafn. I am not by any means bashing any facility or dept, I just feel they could use a FN who may look at things in a different perspective.
Bearzrul
11 Posts
I would be very interested in knowing more about the JACHO standard. Is there a link you could send regarding this new policy plan? When does it become effective? I've taken the Kaplan course in both LNC and FN and just completed our local SANE course (still have clinical requirements).
Thank you for any help you can offer.