What is Forensic Nursing? Understanding it’s Role in Healthcare and the Legal System

It’s funny. There are dozens of career paths that you can pursue once you have completed your nursing degree. Some involve office work. Administration. There’s health coaching. School nursing. The list goes on and on. Why is it that when most people here the word nurse, they immediately picture a tired person in a white uniform, working their way through hospital rooms?

This perception is what people in the self-improvement space might call a “limiting thought.” It holds you back from experiencing the full scope of your options.

One of those options is forensic nursing— a career and entrepreneur/solopreneur path that blends healthcare with criminal justice. In this article we take a look at what forensic nursing is, why it is important, and how you can become one.

What is Forensic Nursing?

Forensic nurses work with victims of violence. This involves providing specialized treatment specific to criminally violent behavior. It also involves collecting (and sometimes presenting) evidence.

It is typically forensic nurses who collect evidence of sexual assault. The nature of the work naturally requires a keen medical understanding. However, forensic nurses also need to have a well-honed bedside manner. Often, their patients will have only very recently experienced significant trauma. They are in a delicate state. Forensic nurses need to be able to work with them to collect valuable evidence while respecting the victim’s comfort levels.

While forensic nursing is strongly associated with working with victims of sexual assault (the certification is labeled “Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner”) there are many different scenarios that can come up during the job. Some forensic nurses work with offenders in the prison setting or are called in during disasters to provide specialized healthcare services.

How You Can Become a Forensic Nurse

Most nursing careers share a common path. You begin by enrolling in a nursing program. Traditionally, you complete four years of course materials. During this time you are participating in classroom learning, but also doing clinical rotations.

There are modified versions that allow you to complete nursing school more quickly. Accelerated nursing programs are generally available to people who already have a college degree. However, there may be other options you can explore. It’s always a good idea to speak with the college you are interested in about their various routes to program completion. Often, you may be surprised by how many options are available to you.

Once you complete your nursing education, you will be required to take a big standardized test. The same prospective lawyers need to take the LSAT before they can enroll in law school, nurses must pass the NCLEX before they can become registered.

For many people, this test is a bit of a career barrier. While the majority of participants pass on their first try it often takes months of studying.

The process described up to this point takes you as far as becoming a registered nurse. To move into forensic nursing, you will need further credentials. This requires you to become certified. Currently, there are two options to become a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner:

• SANE-A (Adult/Adolescent) Certification– This certification focuses on providing specialized care to adult and adolescent victims of sexual assault and abuse. Nurses with SANE-A certification are trained to conduct forensic examinations, collect evidence, and provide compassionate care tailored to the needs of adult and adolescent survivors.
• SANE-P (Pediatric) Certification– This certification is specifically designed for nurses who work with pediatric populations, including infants, children, and adolescents, who have experienced sexual abuse or assault. SANE-P-certified nurses are trained to conduct forensic examinations in a manner sensitive to the unique needs of pediatric patients and to provide appropriate medical and emotional support.

To complete the application for SANE certification you will need to receive a minimum of 40 hours of training. You will also need to complete clinical practice relating to SANE healthcare. The current requirement is 300 hours over three years.

Specifics of the Job

Forensic nurses go where they are needed. Sometimes, this means they will be working in a traditional hospital setting. Other times, they may be called into psychiatric wards, community centers, coroner’s offices, and so on.

Because their work is centered around criminal activity, they also often need to testify in court settings.

While forensic nurses may work regularly scheduled hours many of their responsibilities are carried out on an on-call basis. Criminal assault does not follow a predictable schedule. Consequently, forensic nurses are often called in on evenings, weekends, holidays, etc.

Challenges of Forensic Nursing

The obvious challenge of forensic nursing is that it will require you to regularly encounter incredibly sad situations. Effectively, it combines the most emotionally challenging aspects of healthcare and criminal justice into one job.

Depression, anxiety, and burnout are very common experiences for forensic nurses. The certification requirements do help weed out candidates who might not be emotionally suited to the work. If you can’t handle working with people during the worst moments of their lives, you will probably realize it somewhere in the 300 hours of required clinical experience.

Conclusion

Forensic nursing, like all other nursing positions, takes a special type of person. Be the victims children or adults, the work is always heartbreaking. And yet, those who can tolerate the emotional discomfort do so secure in the knowledge that they are taking a terrible situation and doing what they can to make it a little bit better.

This, in fact, is a fundamental quality inherent to all nursing careers. If you think you have what it takes to become a forensic nurse, start looking for educational/certification opportunities available near you.