Forensic Nurse: The New Role of the Nurse in Law Enforcement

AORN Journal,  Oct, 2006  by A. Lynn Littlefield

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Forensic Nurse: The New Rote of the Nurse in Law Enforcement

Serita Stevens 2004, 241 pages $23.95 hardcover

If you have ever wondered whether forensic nursing is for you, or even if you are just curious, I highly recommend this book. It is an eye opener for those of us whose only knowledge of forensics comes from television shows such as "CSI" and "Law & Order." The author is a member of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), and in this book, she has written a compilation of stories of her IAFN colleagues' and her own experiences. The work of a forensic nurse is told realistically and without the Hollywood glamour--this book is not for the faint of heart.

Although forensic nursing is a relatively new term, it was formally accepted as a specific area of the nursing profession by the American Academy of Nursing in 1996. The expertise of a forensic nurse, which includes a unique combination of medical and legal knowledge and criminology, makes the forensic nurse's input increasingly valuable in criminal investigations.

There are many skills unique to forensic nursing, not the least of which is learning to look at patients in new ways. Forensic nurses not only see a patient's injury, but they also must look at how the injury occurred. These nurses know how to take care of patients, as well as how to handle the evidence that comes with them.

The first place that forensic nursing often takes place is in the ER. or example, the sexual assault nurse examiner usually is found in the ER, and even when not on duty, this nurse is on call when a patient who has been sexually assaulted arrives at the hospital. According to the author, a full rape examination take an average of six hours. The book also describes nurse lawyers; nurse consultants in fraud, malpractice, workman's compensation, and child welfare cases; and forensic psychiatric nurses who work in psychiatric units for the criminally insane. Readers will realize that giving testimony during a trial is an art in itself.

I would encourage anyone with an interest in this fascinating career to read this book. It is well written and gives the reader a thorough look at all aspects of this fledgling specialty in the nursing profession. The author also has included an eight-page bibliography and a web site address that readers can visit if they are intrigued by what they have read and want to find out more.

This book is available from Thomas Dunne Books, St Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10010.

A. LYNN LITTLEFIELD

RN, CNOR

Staff nurse and RN first assistant

Cardiovascular OR

Virginia Hospital Center

Arlington, Va, and

ISH, Inc,

Fairfield, NJ

COPYRIGHT 2006 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning