Forensic Nursing

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Become a Forensic Nurse

Forensic nurses are meticulous, detail-oriented practitioners who are skilled at both treating patients under traumatic and stressful circumstances, as well as gathering evidence from patients and perpetrators to aid criminal investigations. Forensic nurses work in conjunction with police departments and medical examiners, which means they may be called as expert witnesses in court trials.

Forensic Nursing in a Nutshell

The term "forensics" involves the application of scientific techniques to the investigation of a crime or crime scene. Forensic nursing encompasses the following three areas:

Application of forensic aspects of health care in scientific investigation of deaths, trauma, accidents, criminal activity and environmental hazards
Application of nursing-related sciences to public or legal proceedings
Treatment of trauma

Education Requirements for a Forensic Nurse

To become a Certified Forensic Nurse (CFN) you should have the following credentials:

A minimum of five years experience as a Registered Nurse (RN)
Completion of 40 hours of didactics (classroom work) and 40 hours of training in clinical work, as outlined in a course by the International Association for Registered Nurses (IARN)
Experience handling evidence in hair, fiber, swabs and fluids for DNA testing

A Day in the Life of a Forensic Nurse

Despite the abundance of TV shows featuring stunning young women hanging around corpses and solving crimes, a typical working day for a forensic nurse is not as glamorous, but it is rewarding and challenging work. Depending on the nurse's area of specialization, he or she may work with sexual assault victims or train colleagues on how to treat violently injured patients. Some choose to work exclusively in emergency room hospitals, collecting bullets and other debris from a victim's body.

Forensic nursing in hospitals is often the most physically and emotionally challenging, because these professionals must gather evidence from victims, remove their clothes, assist physicians by photographing and measuring wounds and work with the medical examiner if the patients die.

Additionally, forensic nurses are qualified to testify in court as "fact witnesses." This means nurses are only able to answer details about the case in an objective manner.

Job Growth for Forensic Nurses

The forensic nursing job outlook is very good with steady growth predicted over the next decade. The employment flexibility that CFNs enjoy will aid them in an already welcoming job market—health care is expected to be the largest growing industry through 2014, according to the US Department of Labor. Currently, the typical CFN earns between $41,000 to $65,000 per year depending on education and experience.