Forensic nursing goes far beyond traditional medical care; it is "an innovative expansion of the role nurses will fill in the health care delivery system of the future," (Lynch, 1995, p. 489). This is why the Vice President of the United States Joe Biden has stated, "Forensic Nurses play an integral role in bridging the gap between law and medicine. They should be in each and every emergency room," (cited by the International Association of Forensic Nurses, 2006). Until recently, I was not aware that the profession existed. I learned what I know about forensic science from television, and also from years spent watching autopsies being performed at the morgue near by dad's office. Oddly, I would spend hours watching actual autopsies so when television shows started to depict forensic science in documentary and fiction shows more and more, the field broadened and opened up to me. I soon learned that I could be of help to the legal profession and also to the victims of crime by applying my skills as a forensic nurse. I realized that there was a possibility to contribute my services as...
The profession has been defined as "the application of the nursing process to public or legal proceedings, and the application of forensic health care in the scientific investigation of trauma and/or death related to abuse, violence, criminal activity, liability, and accidents," (Hammer & Pagliaro, 2006, p. 4). Therefore, there are multiple aspects of forensic nursing. Forensic nursing is a multidisciplinary line of work, because it combines traditional nurse practice with sociology, psychology, and legal issues.
A forensic nurse understands patient problems within the context of general sociological factors. Issues like gender, race, class, and social power are not typically areas of research for a nurse, but they are for forensic nurses. A forensic nurse needs to understand patient issues in light of potential legal ones. For example, if a woman is admitted to my care and I suspect that she was abused by her domestic partner, I might be able to help her find…
