Forensic Nursing

The Exciting Newfield Of Forensic Nursing.

What is forensic nursing?forensic nursing is a type of medical practice that is just beginning to be recognized. By combining health care and law enforcement, forensic nursing is providing an invaluable service to the police and victims, especially in the area of sex-related crimes. forensic nursing practitioners may treat the victims of violent crimes, help with the investigation of a crime scene, or even work to assist the police in catching suspects. Most forensic nursing examiners are used as sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE). Their job in these cases is to collect the evidence from the victim and support the victim emotionally.forensic nursing TrainingThe first requirement to get into the field of forensic nursing is that you be a registered nurse.

This is followed by a forensic nursing degree program, which generally consists of two years of graduate degree courses. After successful completion, you will receive a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).Part of forensic nursing training teaches you to identify, collect and safeguard evidence during the act of treating a patients wounds. There specific areas of forensic nursing that you can choose to specialize in, such as correctional, sexual assault, gerontology, and nurse coroner and death investigation.To be a SANE nurse, there are more credentials required. In forensic nursing, to be certified as a SANE, you must have been working as a licensed RN for two years and have your MSN.

These certifications must be renewed every three years.Jobs in forensic nursingSince the field of forensic nursing is so new, there are currently not a lot of job opportunities. It is an important service, but not all hospitals hire nurses who are specifically trained in forensic nursing. If you are a licensed RN working at a hospital and happen to be certified for forensic nursing, you may be asked to be on call when a forensic nurse practitioner may be required.