Scope of Practice of Forensic, SANE, and Unit Nurses

  Forensic Nursing    Name of Student Institution Affiliation Abstract Nursing is a vital profession in the healthcare sector. Usually, nurses are the frontline soldiers in receiving and handling patients who need emergency attention. Forensic nursing has been a game-changer in trauma, abuse, and sexual assault management as an emerging sub-specialty in nursing. Forensic nurses are specifically trained to attend to trauma victims compassionately and professionally to get the comfort, healing, and justice they deserve as sexual assault and domestic violence victims. Therefore, as a vital sector of the economy, the healthcare system should prioritize advanced training of forensic nurses to execute their duties adequately.   Forensic Nursing  Forensic nursing has been an evolving profession in the healthcare system in recent years. It is a specialty that requires personalized care for the affected victims. According to the International Association of Forensic Nursing, it is the fastest advancing sub-specialty in the nursing profession. The practice requires a particular commitment to the nursing core concepts that entail caring, advocacy, empathy, trust, communication, and leadership. Therefore, as a registered nurse, the Forensic Nurse in the healthcare system specializes in handling trauma victims. The patients they handle might have undergone victimization either unintentionally or intentionally through acts of violence or abuse. The trauma inflicted on the victims may result from sexual assault, neglect, intimate partner violence, or other types of deliberate injury. Sometimes, forensic nurses usually take care of the violent perpetrators who have been injured or fallen ill. Albeit the role of a Forensic nurse is principally medical, a specialist in this profession must also be well acquainted with legal matters. The nurses are sometimes summoned in courtrooms or as consultants to present medical evidence to prosecute or apprehend violent and abusive acts perpetrators. The various healthcare departments that a forensic nurse can work in include hospitals, correctional facilities, medical examiner offices, coroner's offices, psychiatry offices, or a community program that reaches out to abuse and violence victims. Yes, the difference in roles of Forensic Nurse and SANE nurse lies in their specialty. A Forensic Nurse is more of a general practitioner in the forensic nursing profession, specializing in handling trauma, abuse, and violence victims. They usually have a foundation in nursing and the criminal justice system. They are the frontline healthcare workers when crimes victims are in dire need of help, often giving compassionate and sensitive care to the victims while painstakingly gathering relevant evidence that might be required later in a courtroom in case of any prosecution. However, a SANE nurse is a forensic nurse who mainly specializes in sexual assault or trauma and a certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). The two choices of certification under SANE nurses by the International Association of Forensic Nursing (IAFN) are Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner — Adult/Adolescent (SANE-A) and Sexual Assault ...