What is Forensic Nursing?
If you’re looking for a career in law enforcement that deals with the medical side of crimes, Forensic Nursing could be right up your alley. A relatively new profession, forensic nurses may treat the wounds of violent crime victims, perform crime scene investigations, or even work as detectives to help police catch criminals. Sounds exciting, right?
The forensic nurse acts as a kind of medium between the medical profession and the crime justice system. Combining medical training expertise, law enforcement expertise, and lawyer expertise creates for a rock solid testimony, making forensic nurses a critical part of the justice system overall.
Forensic Nurses will often work within the emergency room. Some patients may not even be aware of that they require a forensic nurse when they enter the hospital. Consider the idea of a boy who comes in with a broken arm. As the doctors are rushing about, calling for X-rays, a forensic nurse might notice the bruises on the boy’s legs from a beating he received for not taking out the trash.
By looking for injuries that don’t line up with patient stories, forensic nurses can determine whether or not a patient was in an accident, or physically abused.
Nevertheless, the most important duty of a Forensic Nurse is to assist in both the physical and emotional recovery of a patient. Nurses may deal in such areas as sexual assault nursing, correctional nursing, gerontology (elderly) specialization, legal nurse consultation, and community education.
Forensic Nursing is a broad spectrum of career paths, and is great for those seeking nursing jobs in other departments of society. Forensic Nurse Investigators assist the police in uncovering the circumstances for an unnatural or unexpected violent death. In contrast, legal nurse consultants help attorneys where civil cases and medical issues can overlap.
Forensic Nurses have the potential to earn as much as $100 per hour, depending upon their specialty. Although salaries vary based on education level, location, and duties, choosing the correct location to take up practice can lead to a more profitable career. Private hospitals in large cities usually offer better wages, as does setting up private practice, although in private practice establishing a reputation is necessary.
For those individuals who want to work on the medical side of law enforcement, Forensic Nursing provides a lucrative and exciting career opportunity.
