What is forensic nursing?
Forensic nursing is when the healthcare practice of nursing and legal system interact with each other. The forensic nurse functions as a staff nurse, nurse scientist, nurse investigator or as an independent consulting nurse specialist to public and private ‘operative’ or individuals in the medicolegal investigation of the injury or death of victims of violence, criminal activity and traumatic accidents (James and Norby 2009).
What does a forensic nurse do?
Forensic nursing provides direct and indirect services to individual clients; provide consultation services to medical, -nursing-, and law related agencies; provide expert court testimony in areas of evidence collection, preservation and analysis-, questioned in death investigating process-, adequacy of services delivered-, and specialization in diagnosis of specific conditions related to nursing practices. Some examples of positions held by forensic nurses are clinical forensic nurse, forensic psychiatric nurse, legal nurse consultant, forensic nurse educator or consultant and many more! Check out the Forensic Nurses’ Society of Canada for more information: http://forensicnurse.ca