If you are interested in nursing you may have heard the term forensic nurse, but may be unsure just what it means.

A forensic nurse is a new specialist role that combines the normal health care duties with issues relating to the legal system.  Being a forensic nurse covers a wide spectrum of tasks which can include:

- Providing care and support to the victims of crime
- Providing care to those who have been perpetrators of crime

All of this is done recognizing the patients may be suffering psychological and physical trauma.  They are also trained to both recognize and to collect evidence as they provide their treatment.  This is a finely balanced part of the role; to manage the needs of the patient while getting enough information.

How The Forensic Nurse Roles Began

The first seeds in the emergence of the role of the Forensic nurse came out of treating victims of sexual abuse.  It was recognized these patients needed a special kind of care, that was done with sensitivity, but that also gathered enough good evidence to be able to prosecute the perpetrator.  It was seen that these forensic nurses needed a wider understanding of the law and how their work fed into this.  Knowing what documentation was and how it was used in the judicial process was important.  A better informed forensic nurse, meant the more chance of a successful prosecution.

This is a new area and training as a forensic nurse is only starting to become mainstream, but it has quickly gained popularity.  A number of nursing courses are starting to offer this training as part of their general nursing program or as a post graduate option.

Different Areas Of A Forensic Nurse

Topics that need to be covered in relation to becoming a forensic nurse include dealing with law enforcement and the legal system, forensic sciences in general, mental health implications, and various other areas.

As the forensic nurse has become more mainstream they are starting to become recognized as expert witnesses in their own right.  They work with hospitals, investigators, prisons and at crime scene to both gather and document the evidence for any incident.  As people are often reticent to come forward with information, they often have to make assumptions about what has happened based on their own observations.  Through out all of this they need to remain objective and not let the facts of the incident cloud their thinking or judgment. Nor can they let it affect the treatment they need to give the patient.

The Need For A Variety Of Forensic Nurse Ethnic Backgrounds

One of the things the nursing profession is trying to encourage is more nurses from all ethnic groups to look at becoming a specialized forensic nurse.  Crime happens across the spectrum, and if there is more variety in nurses, more victims may be prepared to come forward.   And more importantly they need to feel comfortable to talk about their experience.

There are now formal qualifications that can be earned to show you are a more than competent forensic nurse.  The formal qualifications are still emerging, but the role of the forensic nurse has become mainstream and recognized.