By: Linda Raye
Speculation on the cause of the recent surge of interest in Forensic Nursing varies but most agree the leading source of information leading to this expanding career choice is the popularity of the TV shows relating to crime scene investigation. Are you up for an exciting and challenging career in Forensic Nursing?
Forensic nursing is a career field where nursing professionals combine their career training, education and work path along with the field of law enforcement, investigating and helping treat victims. The victims are generally involved in child abuse cases, sexual assault or accidental death.
Forensic nursing work often involves working crime scenes, gathering evidence, and of course treating people on the scene and afterwards following up. They also administer to incarcerated people and help with court cases as expert witnesses.
Other general duties of the nurses are to help educate and treat their patients, to offer advice, support and resources for patients and their families. They also help with home care needs, exercise and dietary issues, physical therapy, and maintaining records; family and patient medical and other histories and case issues. They help with screenings, presentations to the public and other medical people, testing and analysis for results, administering meds, shots and other treatments, after care and rehab work.
Top nursing specialties generally focus on population, type of work, health focus or body system. And main specialty areas within the forensic nursing field include:
• Correctional Nursing Specialist
• Forensic Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Forensic Gerontology Specialist
• Forensic Nurse Investigator
• Forensic Psychiatric Nurse
• Legal Nurse Consultant
• Nurse Coroner/Death Investigator
• Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
Forensic nurses need to complete registered nurse (RN) training and successfully complete certification requirements. And some interesting facts concerning the RN industry, according to the and U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics "Occupational Outlook Handbook 2006-07 Edition," are:
- The main steps towards completing the RN program feature an associate degree, a bachelor's degree and diploma from an accredited nursing program.
- Registered nurses make up one of the largest health care occupations, boasting more than 2 million jobs.
- Over half of the RN jobs are in hospitals.
- Registered nursing jobs are projected to be among the second largest employment group compared with all occupations.
- Future job opportunities for the majority of RN specialties are predicted be great. In fact, there are reports of some employers having trouble finding and keeping RNs.
For more information, contact:
The International Association of Forensic Nurses IAFN Home Office 1517 Ritchie Hwy, Ste 208, Arnold, MD 21012-2461 Phone: 410-626-7805 Fax: 410-626-7804 Email: info@iafn.org
Their website offers information about certification, continuing education opportunities and publications, industry events and jobs, and more.
