Oct 11 2009

So You Want To Be A Nurse

There are many options available for anyone who is interested to pursue a career in nursing. The demand for healthcare professionals are continuously on the upswing so there is a positive demand for them in the years to come.

The following are some of the options available for anyone who is interested to pursue a career that is related in the medical field that is related in some way to nursing.

Those who cannot do, assist

For those who are still weighing their options whether to pursue a full-fledged career in nursing or to just simply try out at first if nursing is indeed the career for them, there is a short course available for them to study.

Being a CNA or a certified nursing assistant only requires a short period to study. The period usually range from about a month or two or more. After the course, one could immediately start a job as a CNA during which the time spent working allows you the opportunity to see for yourself a glimpse of the nursing world as well as provide you with the income to save and spend for possibly getting into a full fledged nursing program.

Be an LPN or an LVN

A Licensed Practical Nurse or a Licensed Vocational Nurse is a course of study that usually takes about one year to study, complete and finish. The Licensed Practical Nurse or the Licensed Vocational Nurse usually works directly under the physician or a Registered Nurse.

Being a Licensed Practical Nurse or a Licensed Vocational Nurse is also one of the effective means to get into nursing school and be a registered nurse. There are nursing schools that allows Licensed Practical Nurses to take courses and credits in the process of being Registered Nurses. Vocational schools are the ones that usually offer LPN courses. This process of Licensed Practical Nurses studying to become Registered Nurses will continue to increase at the same time that the demand for nurses also increase.

Registered Nurses are on demand

When one is a registered nurse, the options for promotion, education upgrade and job responsibility are a plenty. Usually, the process that went on then with regards to nurses that are studying is this: hospitals used to offer a diploma study course for those willing to study nursing. The course usually lasts three years. During this time, students lived and then worked inside their assigned hospitals. After which, they then take their boards to later become full-fledged Registered Nurses. However, now is different. There are now Associate Degrees in nursing that last for two years.

The BSN advantage

There is a course called Bachelor of Science in Nursing that usually covers most of the theoretical aspect in nursing. Recently, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is being pushed to become at least the minimum requisite for one to be actually called as a professional nurse that currently, academic programs that call from a Registered Nurse background to study Bachelor of Science Nursing degree is being seen as an ideal and sound choice for nurses who want professional advancement,

In summary, the decision to be a nurse rests on you. The choices that are available all depend on how much you are willing to spend your time, effort, energy and money on. It is important though that any decision one makes comes from the heart and the mind and that being a nurse, serving the health care profession, and serving the needs and wants of others is what you want to do, and would be happy doing for the rest of your career life.

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Oct 11 2009

Why Nursing Is One Of The Strongest Areas Of The US Economy

Nursing is often considered the recession proof career. While it is possible to cut back in many areas of life when the economy goes south, medical care is not one of those areas. Whether you have plenty of money or very little, you still get sick, or you may get injured. This makes visiting a hospital or doctor a necessity. Very few people stop to think about medical bills before visiting the hospital in the case of an emergency.

Medical careers in general, and nurses in particular, are growing at a rate that is quicker than most other careers. The need for healthcare workers is across the board, with a growing demand in hospitals, long term care facilities, home health care agencies and physicians offices. Nurses are also employed in other settings, such as community health departments, schools and as telephone consultants for managed care providers.

Growing needs for healthcare

One of the factors in the need for more nurses is the aging population of the US. The baby boomer population, the largest in our country’s history, is getting older, and in growing need of medical care. Older patients have different needs than younger ones. This will lead to a growing demand for nurses that are willing to work in the long term care setting as well as nurses that work in home healthcare.

Another consideration in the aging population is skyrocketing medical costs. While advancements in medical care mean that many conditions can be treated more successfully than in past years, technology comes at a price. Patients are spending less time than ever in the hospital. Once their condition is managed, they are released to a nursing facility or their home. In the past, many home health agencies employed LPNs or nurse’s aides to visit their in home patients. With the increased medical demands and need for training, registered nurses are becoming a sought after addition to many home health agencies rosters.

Recession-proof yourself

While nursing is one of the most recession proof careers you could chose, there are many people with nursing degrees that are unemployed. Some of these people are not working by choice, and others may not be able to find a job in their area, or the wage is not high enough to justify hiring a babysitter. For some others, the only jobs available may require shift work, which some people are not interested in at all.

To best position yourself for the growing need for nurses, and make sure that you are recession proof, take some proactive steps.
Invest in a bachelor degree. Although you can become an RN with an associate’s degree, and you will still be an RN once you complete your bachelor degree, it is very worthwhile and beneficial to your career. Many healthcare settings require anyone in management to have a four year degree, and you will definitely need it if you want to pursue a nurse practitioner degree.
Consider a nurse practitioner program. Many hospitals offer tuition reimbursement, so pursuing a graduate degree is surprisingly affordable. As healthcare needs continue to grow, nurse practitioners, who can diagnose, treat and prescribe, just like a doctor, are becoming increasingly in demand.
Specialize. Whatever area you work in, or want to work in, consider a specialization program. Take continuing education in emergency care, pediatrics or any other field you work in. The point is, make yourself an expert.
Socialize. Get to know nurses at other care facilities. There are more job opportunities for nurses than you can imagine. If you find yourself on the hunt for a job, networking is the quickest way to find a new position.
Understand that recession proof does not mean lucrative. Although the pay scale for nursing today is strong, there is no guarantee that it will remain that way. As hospitals search for ways to cut costs, there are only so many ends to trim. At some point salaries and hours may be cut, and a nurse’s patient load may increase. If this happens, the job becomes infinitely more stressful.

Finding a Balance

Because of the demand for nurses, many in this profession work long hours in multiple positions. Per Diem positions are lucrative for the nurse who wants to stay home with her children, but desires a little extra cash. As more people realize the job security offered by nursing, it is expected that more people will choose it as a career. What is currently unknown is if the supply will keep up with the demand.

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Oct 10 2009

Technology That Altered The Nursing Industry

No workplace has escaped the touch of technology, including nursing. Nursing is still, and will always be, a field where technology has had a huge impact on the way that nurses do their job. While some of the technological advances have made the nurse’s job easier, others have been implemented as a price saving measure, and still others are used to improve patient safety.

Like those in other industries, nurses are often reluctant of using new technologies. With the desire to remain within the process they are familiar with, nurses are often unwillingly pulled into newer technologies. Like most others, once they become familiar with new technology, they grow to like it. One side effect of the new technological advancements in healthcare is the increase in jobs related to the field. Before ultrasounds, there was no need for someone trained to perform them. Respiratory therapy, nuclear medicine and many other branches of healthcare have created new jobs by the advancement of technology.

Improvements in medical care

Advancements in technology have lead to improved healthcare and patient care. Before the development of electronic IV monitors and IV pump infusions, anyone who received an IV had it administered under the watchful eye of a nurse. Because manual IVs were susceptible to stopping or flowing too rapidly, a nurse remained by the patient’s side every time they received an IV. When you consider how common IVs are, it is easy to see how much time is saved with the electronic IV monitor.

All nurses are familiar with the sphygmomanometer. This is the technical name for a blood pressure cuff. Having an electronic blood pressure cuff that also records the patient’s heart beat is probably one of the greatest time saving tools that technology has brought to nursing.

Technologies such as ultrasound and sonograms have given the medical community the ability to look inside of the human body and see unborn babies and cancerous tumors. While a nurse does not perform or read the ultrasounds and sonograms, their effect has touched the nursing community by allowing more invasive diagnostic procedures to fall by the wayside.

Improvements in information management

As important as nursing care is for the patient, it is only one part of the nurse’s job. The nurse is responsible for maintaining an accurate record on each patient under her care. While many hospitals continue to use pen and paper charting, technology can make the record keeping process less cumbersome. There are computerized programs available for medication dispensing, hospital occupancy and insurance and payment programs. Patient records can be maintained in a computerized database which allows the physician, nurse or other medical professional to pull up the patient’s medical history in seconds. Portable computing equipment allows the nurse to update the information on the fly, rather than at the end of each shift. Internet access allows medical personnel to have instant access to databases to search for symptoms and drug interactions.

Reducing the risk of mistakes

Computerized drug management software reduces the chances of a patient receiving the wrong drug, or being given two drugs that should not be given together. Portable defibrillators only work when they are needed and properly applied. Many of the improvements in technology are aimed at reducing the risk of errors and mistakes that can lead to injury or death. This not only makes the hospital a safer place for patients, but helps ease the stress nurses and other medical professionals are under.

Technology and the nurse

As the nursing field becomes more specialized, the need for nurses that are comfortable with new technology will only increase. While many of the therapies for disease involve drugs, a growing number include medical devices. Technology is focused on the healthcare industry right now for a variety of reasons. Recent drug interactions of approved drugs have made more healthcare development firms look at device development as a safer and less litigious area of development.

The growing needs for medical care and the shortage of healthcare workers also drive the development of new technology. Innovations that make it possible for a nurse to perform duties more efficiently, or allow them to hand over duties to an aide or administrative personnel increases efficiency and increase the number of patients that can be cared for with the same number of nurses.

The desire to reduce mistakes that can cause harm to the patient also drive the development of technology. Devices that have built in safeguards that prevent misuse are one example of this technology. In many highly computerized hospitals, a patient cannot be dispensed the improper medicine, because the computer checks current medications the patient is currently taking, and the patient’s diagnosis, before allowing the medication to be removed from the pharmacy. If the doctor wants the medicine, he must manually override the system.

While nothing can totally remove the pressure of working as a nurse, many innovative solutions have made the job much more manageable. While the learning curve is often steep, the savings in time and worry are your compensation.

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Oct 10 2009

Travel Nurse Employment: Tax Advantages Of Per Diem Deductions

When you are a travel nurse, then you need to have a pretty good understanding of per diem rates and how they might lower your taxes. Many travel nurses believe that per diem is only a tax benefit that staffing agencies offer and yet, surprisingly, others do not. This misunderstanding about what per diem is and how it may affect your taxes is an important financial issue that you need to understand. How you report your per diem earnings could mean the difference in thousands of dollars in tax savings.

Weather you are looking to maximize deductions, reduce taxes, or increase your returns, travel nurses should take the time to learn as much as possible about the IRS per diem tax rules. Certainly, one way to learn is to go to the IRS home page, download publication 1542 and read the rules so that you have a working idea of what to expect by tax time next year. Another great resource, especially, now a days is to do your taxes yourself, if you have a personal computer or laptop. Turbo Tax is a great software program. Not only is it inexpensive and tax deductible itself, but it is very easy to work when you use the step-by-step wizard. You can walk through your entire tax return, and file it electronically. You can get your refund deposited directly into your checking account in a matter of days.

A couple of travel expenses to have a heads up about include:
The travel nurse has a permanent tax home
The travel nurse takes a temporary (less than 12 months) assignment away
from their tax home
Any travel nurse meeting the requirements outlined by the IRS can claim deductions for certain travel expenses or receive tax free reimbursements and tax free per diem allowance payments. These tax benefits are one of the great perks of being a travel nurse.

Unfortunately, one of the most common tax mistakes that a travel nurse makes is not being educated or even aware of the tax advantages to per diem deductions. Now that you are are aware that savvy travel nurses are eligible for per diem deductions for every day that they are on temporary assignment away from their tax home, pass on the work to your co-workers, or email them this article so that they can bookmark this overview and take advantage of these tax benefits themselves.

It is important to be aware that some companies don’t pay per diem allowance, pay too little per diem, or only pay per diem as a function of hourly pay. You can learn what these scenarios mean for you personal tax situation by consulting with a tax advisor or researching the IRS rules. You deserve to to get every dollar of per diem related deductions that you are entitled to, and we hope that this article has help you.

Note: while much care has been taken to make this article accurate, tax rules do change. Please be sure that you are up-to-date on the latest IRS rules. This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not meant to replace the advice of a skilled tax advisor.

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Oct 9 2009

Why The Nursing Community Is Crucial To The Medical Community

Nurses are a vital part of the medical community. There are over 2.5 million nurses in the United States, and nursing is the largest employer in the healthcare field. As the population ages, it is expected that we will need more nurses than ever to fill these available positions. There are two reasons for the increased demand for nurses. An aging population is one that will have a greater need for medical care, and many nurses are reaching retirement age. At a time when teacher and nurse where the two traditional career paths for women, many of the nurses that are reaching retirement age now chose nursing as a career. As other fields of study opened up, fewer women chose to enter the nursing field. That is offset slightly by the fact that many men are entering the field once dominated by women. Men, lured by the promise of flexible schedules and high demand, are a growing segment of the nursing community.

The nursing community is vital to the structure of the entire medical community. Nurses are responsible for their patient’s well being, and must not only dispense medicine, but recognize early signs of complications, monitor the patient’s emotional condition, and help the patient’s family understand the diagnosis and treatment of a disease.

The Importance of Nurses in the Hospital Setting

Nurses receive specialized training in monitoring and assessing medical conditions. While a physician diagnoses a disease or ailment and prescribes a course of treatment, it is the nurse who is involved in the implementation of that therapy. Nurses work one on one with patients, monitoring their vital signs and observing any changes to their condition. Often a nurse’s instinct, honed by hours on the job, is the first clue that a patient may not be responding well to treatment or that there may be another problem.

A nurse will typically be responsible for many patients on each shift. She is responsible for making sure they receive their medications and any other prescribed treatments, as well as helping with basic needs and comforts. The nurse is often a liaison between the patient and their family and the physician. The nurse can often explain in layman’s terms what the doctor has diagnosed and, using knowledge from years on the job, comfort the patient and family members.

The Importance of Nursing in the Community

Nurses are an important part of the community. Particularly in under-served areas, a patient may receive a good deal of their primary care from a nurse. Immunization clinics and health screenings are just two of the ways that nurses serve the community. Without community nurses, many children would be unable to attend school, or be unable to see the chalk board, or older patients would be unaware of high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Community nursing is growing in importance as health care becomes unaffordable for many families. Community nurses often implement low cost programs that allow members of the community to receive help in losing weight, monitoring their blood pressure, or obtaining dental or eye exams for their children.

Nursing in the Home Care Setting

Nurses that work in home health care provide a valuable service to their clients. Often an elderly person is unable to live on their own, but does not want to give up their independence and enter a nursing home. Sometime, a child with a medical condition can stay home, but needs therapy daily. In situations such as these, a home health nurse is invaluable. The nurse makes up a schedule that is set up by the treating physician, and visits homes, administering therapy, checking on the client’s well being, and assessing the patient for any additional needs they may have.

A Higher Level of Care

One of the problems with the rising cost of health care is the lack of access to physicians. Many nurses are furthering their education in ways that help the entire medical community. A registered nurse that has completed his or her bachelor degree may continue on to one of many branches of graduate school. After specialization, she will graduate as a nurse practitioner, and specialize in midwife and delivery, community health, family care, or anesthetics. Although supervision levels vary by state, the nurse practitioner typically works under the supervision of a physician.

While the nurse practitioner must work under a physician, she has a great deal of autonomy. It is not a situation where the nurse is directly supervised. The physician is available for consultation, and may review charts and diagnosis on occasion, but the nurse practitioner can order tests, refer patients to specialists and has prescribing authority. Nurse practitioners have enhanced the level of care offered in many poor and rural communities. They also allow a hospital to reduce its costs by providing services that in the past were only offered by a physician.

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Jun 27 2009

Forensic Nursing Associations Serve As Catalysts For Forensic Nursing

Nurses as we know, assist patients and doctors in the field of health care and care giving. As the world becomes more and more exposed to crimes, the role of the nurse evolved. A new branch of nursing has grown and this is a profession, which covers medical care and judicial or legal assistance at the same time. These new breed of professionals convene in what is called a forensic nursing association.

Forensic nurses practice this newest form of forensic science where they gather evidences related to a crime that may have been committed on a patient. The forensic information they gather can be used during trials, which may also call them as professional witnesses.

Forensic nursing is primarily geared towards helping victims of violence by producing the evidences that will help solve the crime. The traditional way to investigate on a patient is to have several people approach and ask questions. These are the social workers, doctors, police, FBI agent, etc. The victim, who may still be traumatized, will only feel worst since the recaps of the crime will have to be repeated over and over again. This can be addressed by having just one person do everything from beginning to end of the investigation. Beginning being, evidence gathering and end being, court trials and possible justice for the victim. The forensic nurse can be all these.

Forensic nurses take charge of cases of abuse and violent crimes and oftentimes, these nurses find their work truly enjoyable and very much rewarding. Owe it to the popularity of related TV programs on cable, or owe it to the increasing crime rate, more and more clinic nurses who feel they could qualify, are enrolling in certification programs.

The American Nurses Association recognizes this new field that is fast becoming popular. Nurses who just graduated as well as the really experienced Registered Nurses can consider this as their career path.

Many experts see the demand for the forensic nurses to grow and grow. This should be a cause for alarm since the growth of these special nurses mean there is increasing crime rate in the country but that’s practically why the field got conceptualized.

Organizations like the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) have been created to lead this budding group of forensics professionals. Associations like the IAFN provide services to help develop the field. They implement programs that promote the science, and disseminate necessary information about the new practice.

Members of these organizations are registered nurses that are into forensic nursing activities like:

* Scientific investigation of a evidences gathered

* Providing treatment to patients who are traumatized

* Handling interpersonal violence cases like sexual assault, abuses of all kinds, and domestic violence

* Investigation of death

* Managing forensic psychiatric cases

* Correctional nursing in prisons or rehabilitation centers

Most forensic nurses have major roles in the following venues: special hospital units, offices of the medical examiners or coroners, law enforcement agencies, social service units of the government, and other related institutions. This new field has indeed opened more doors for all nurses worldwide.

A forensic nursing association plays a big role in the development of this very significant aspect of forensics, judicial, and medical systems in the society. These groups could be the best media to assist in the fight against violence and crimes.

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Jun 26 2009

Do Forensic Nurses Have To Take The Certification Exam To Help Victims Of Sexual Assault

A lot of people think that after taking the required courses, the only thing stopping you from becoming a forensic nurse is the certification exam. Those who have taken it say that the exam itself is very challenging but did you know that you are not required to take it?

This is because you don’t need to have a license to work as a forensic nurse. The important thing is that you have your diploma. If you want to work in a specialized field, there are advanced classes you can take, which also means a higher position.

But why do some people still take it? This is because passing it adds credibility to what you do especially if you have to give testimony during a civil or criminal proceeding. The test consists of 5 parts namely dynamics of sexual assault, evaluation of the sexual assault patient, participation in the judicial process and professional practice/roles/issues.

If you don’t pass, the testing authorities will send you a breakdown of your scores in each of these categories so you will see where you didn’t perform very well. With this information, it will be easy for you to pass on the second try.

What you might find strange about the certification exam is that there is no passing or failing mark. You final grade depends on the scores of everyone who took the test. This means that there is a curve so if you scored 95 and more people scored lower, you are one of those who passed the exam with flying colors. However, if others did better, you could fail and that means taking the exam again.

On average, you have to get 75% of the questions correctly to be sure that you passed the exam so study hard.

But how do you review for the forensic nursing exam? You can enrol in a review program or do this by yourself. The important thing is to be able to answer almost any question they throw at you.

Passing the exam simply adds credibility to who you are. Since science has found new ways to help victims of violent crimes, you must keep up with the times by attending seminars and other courses whenever they are offered.

In fact, the American Nurses’ Association offers this and other benefits to its members. All you have to do is sign up.

Being a member, you become one of 2.9 million registered nurses working in its 54 constituent member associations.

The certification exam mentioned is only for those who want to become a sexual assault nurse examiner.

Given that forensic nursing is quite broad, you can explore other options. You could work as a specialist involved in tissue and organ donation, paediatrics, pathology, victimology or psychiatry.

Some forensic nurses shift from one field to another after working there for a few years so they don’t become stagnant in one specialty. All this experience could even land you a consultancy job later or even your own private practice.

The vast majority of forensic nurses today are involved in sexual assault. Should you take the certification exam? That is up to you but it wouldn’t hurt to be certified because it adds to your credibility when you are doing your share in bringing the suspect to justice.

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Jun 26 2009

Urgency Amid Violence: What Forensic Nursing History Is Telling Us

Since forensic nursing is a fairly new field in nursing care, not too many people are aware yet of their roles. So many of these medical-legal professionals are already in the field helping victims of crimes by becoming instruments in putting the criminals behind bars. But how did this forensic practice start? Here’s a quick view of forensic nursing history.

Caregivers or health providers have been around for a long time now and many have already practiced forensic-type of services even before forensic nursing was recognized. In fact, during the 13th century, there were nurses who played the role of forensic practitioners as they examine the young women arranged to marry royalty.

These women were required to be virgins before they can proceed with the marriage. The nurses of that time were the ones who confirmed the women’s virginity to the monarchs. Nurses have also already worked with sexual assault and abuse cases during this period.

Prior to forensic nursing, sexual assault nurses were the key people who handled rape or sexual abuse cases. Most law enforcement agencies in the country have a team of these sexual assault professionals who arrive at the crime scene to gather all physical evidences that can affect prosecution later on.

These medical practitioners were tasked to handle these cases and not the crime scene investigators, medical examiners or forensic analysts. Homicide cases go to the police department’s CSIs but sexual assault cases are special.

The sexual assault response team model was initiated in California. Members of this team include the victim advocate, an officer of the police department, and a sexual assault examiner. This team works together in making a full and comprehensive investigation of the crime.

The victim advocate provides counseling to the victim and preps her for the long process ahead. The police take charge of the investigation of facts. The examiner gathers the evidence, documents them properly, and assesses them.

Medical professionals like nurses, counselors, and advocates who worked with rape victims in various hospitals and clinics first established a training program for sexual assault examiners in Memphis, Tennessee in 1976. Another program was launched in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1977. These were necessary to improve the services so that sensitive cases like rape can be handled properly.

Many people during that time felt that the law enforcement couldn’t handle such cases efficiently. They were too insensitive on their approaches and most of the time, they dismissed claims of rape due to a lot of misconceptions, bias, or pure lack of knowledge and understanding on the matter.

It was in 1992 when the term forensic nursing was coined. About 70 sexual assault nurses and examiners gathered in Minneapolis that time to convene about their roles and how they can promote this service better as an organization. Shortly after, they formed the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), which now serves as the central unit to develop and promote forensic nursing nationwide and internationally. Come 1995, forensic nursing became an official specialization in the nursing practice when the American Nurses Association (ANA) recognized it.

The government began to take notice and state legislators are now considering to pass a bill that requires hospitals to employ forensic nurses, who will care for sexual assault victims as well as victims of other crimes. There are a number of hospitals in the state of Connecticut that have certified sexual assault nurse examiners. This is considered as the entry point to forensic nursing.

In a short period of time, forensic nursing history tells us that their usefulness in the society should be recognized especially now that the world is becoming more and more exposed to acts of delinquency.

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Jun 26 2009

A Brief Take On Forensic Nursing Description

Crime scene investigators are the first people allowed to touch dead people’s body at the spot where they were first discovered. The lead CSI observes and from what he saw, he concludes foul play. That’s homicide TV for you there. As we see them geeks strut through the laboratory with all those gadgets to get evidence from the littlest of substances or debris we can’t help but admire them, and possibly daydream of being them. Forensic nursing is a little something like that. Read on for more on forensic nursing description.

Forensic nursing is a new specialty area in nursing practice that is fast gaining popularity even across nations. It is recognized by the American Nurses Association (ANA). The International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) is the group that helps promote and develop the field further.

Forensic nurses take charge of investigating the causes of mortality or death in so many settings. Their responsibilities include:

* Collection of evidence from the suspect and victim

* Testify in court using evidence gathered as a fact witness or as an expert witness

* Know how to properly handle evidence

* Conduct forensic photography

* Serve as bridge between health care and legal systems

A forensic nurse should be skillful in making observations, documentations, and preservation of all evidences, which can help solve a criminal case. Forensic nursing is a broad science that covers sub-specialties like sexual assault, death investigation, psychiatric care, and medical-legal consultations. Here are the various types of forensic nurses:

- Forensic Clinical Nurse Specialist

- Forensic Nurse Investigator

- Nurse Coroner or Death Investigator

- Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner

- Legal Nurse Consultant

- Forensic Gerontology Specialist

- Forensic Psychiatric Nurse

- Correctional Nursing Specialist

Crime-related situations have time and again proven the importance of forensic nursing. Owing to the skills of the forensic nurse to provide health care, they are most especially needed in establishing the concrete foundation to a more stable and effective justice and legal system.

Training programs related to forensic examination of a victim were already available to qualified medical personnel as early as 1976. Health care professionals, both physicians and licensed nurses who underwent training spent 40 hours in the classroom learning the theories and concepts. Their training also exposed them to hands-on clinical practices that make them experience the actual applications of what they learned in the classroom.

The pilot training programs were more inclined towards care for sexual assault victims. As years went by these early programs were developed further and has branched out to several courses like SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner), SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner), FNE (Forensic Nurse Examiner), SANC (Sexual Assault Nurse Clinician), and the latest SAE (Sexual Assault Examiner). These are different acronyms but in general, they teach the same curricula.

Violence is the usual root of all forensic nursing cases. This presents itself in various forms like verbal abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, animal cruelty, destruction of property, sexual assault or rape, homicide, and so many more. There is no specific victim profile since anybody can be one. There are kids aged 2 who become victims. The same age group of kids can also manifest signs of violent behavior. In a crime, victims can become the perpetrators too.

Forensic nursing description can’t be summarized in a few sentences or paragraphs, but still, it would be helpful to know even these basic things that were cited here.

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Jun 25 2009

Forensic Nursing Certifications Can Qualify Registered Nurses

Registered nurses who have been practicing health care for years now have the option to shift their careers if they want to. New graduates of the nursing course can check if they can divert from clinical nursing to a seemingly more challenging career in forensics. Nursing practitioners or even physicians, can obtain forensic nursing certifications if they want to shift their careers or they just want to upgrade their skills.

The primary role of hospital nurses is in care giving. A forensic nurse can be a clinical nurse, who has great observation skills, can recognize and identify evidences, collect them and document them properly for use in convicting perpetrators of crime. This clinical nurse must of course, go through training and certification first before she can begin practicing professionally.

A professional certification is a document that recognizes an individual’s experience and knowledge in a certain field, profession or specialty. There are a lot of acronyms that refer to courses related to forensic nursing. There may be differences in the way they’re called but the curriculum is similar in all types. These training programs are:

* Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner – SAFE

* Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner – SANE

* Forensic Nurse Examiner – FNE

* Sexual Assault Nurse Clinician – SANC

* Sexual Assault Examiner – SAE

All these training programs include curricula, which give focus on:

- Victimology

- Perpetrator Theory

- Forensic Mental/Psychiatric Health

- Interpersonal Violence (same sex or otherwise)

- Criminology

- Criminal Justice

Thos who undergo any of the training programs have classroom hours and hands-on hours that are supervised by trained forensic doctors and nurses. The following are the most recognized methods on how one can acquire forensic nurse education or training:

1. Via certification programs provided by universities that offer forensic nursing aside from traditionally structured courses that lead to a nursing degree

2. Via continuing education programs that professional nurses undergo for renewal of their licenses.

3. Via undergraduate or graduate nursing courses or elective subjects on forensic nursing that are often offered as part of a certification program

4. Via Masters of Science with a degree in Nursing, which also offers special subjects on collecting evidence, forensic law and science, etc. These programs also offer internship in forensic crime laboratories, medical examiners’ offices, shelters for crime victims, and the forensic psychiatry units of hospitals,

The International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), which was formed in the early 1990s as a result of a convention attended by 70 sexual assault nurses, has developed a certification program for all sexual assault nurse examiners. SANE-A Certification is a professional certification for sexual assault nurse examiners of adults and adolescents. SANE-P is intended for examiners of pediatric and adolescent patients.

The SANE is considered the stepping-stone to forensic nursing. The IAFN requires the trainees to be registered nurses. They are subject to 40 instructional hours and another 40 hours for on-the-job duties. During the training, the nurses’ skills are honed in collecting various evidences like hair strands, fibers, and fluids for DNA testing.

Although forensic nurses are more into sexual assault cases, they are still helpful in other cases like domestic violence and various types of abuse (verbal, physical, emotional, psychological).

Many forensic nurses can be seen in emergency rooms of hospitals so they can be on the lookout for shooting or stabbing cases. They gather the bullets and other possible evidences in the form of debris or fluid that can shed some light in the cause of the crime. Only a nurse that has undergone forensic nursing certifications can properly handle all these tasks.

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