Forensic Nurse
Job Title: Forensic Nurse
Location: Christchurch
Relocation Package Available
Duties
A forensic nurse is a Registered Nurse who has received specific education and training. Forensic nurses provide specialized care for patients who are experiencing acute and long-term health consequences associated with victimization or violence, and/or have unmet evidentiary needs relative to having been victimized or accused of victimization.
In addition, forensic nurses provide consultation and testimony for civil and criminal proceedings relative to nursing practice, care given, and opinions rendered regarding findings. Forensic nursing care is not separate and distinct from other forms of medical care, but rather integrated into the overall care needs of individual patients.
Forensic nurses can be found working in a wide variety of fields which include domestic violence, sexual assault, the mistreatment of the elderly, child abuse and neglect, death investigations, various crime investigations, and others. The following are common duties that are carried out by forensic nurses:
Provide expert witness testimony
Collect evidence pertaining to deaths and possible homicides
Examine victims' bodies
Gather victims' medical and social history from their doctors and relatives
Conduct forensic photography
Act as a bridge between the health care field and the legal system
Handle crime scene evidence
Requirements
Beginning a career as a forensic nurse means that one must first complete the general education and training that is required in order to become a licensed registered nurse. After completing this initial education and training, prospective forensic nurses will then need to complete additional education and training in legal and forensic sciences.
Forensic nurses should be skillful and meticulous when it comes to making observations, documentations, and preserving evidence. They should also be knowledgeable in the protocol for death investigations, sexual assault, medical and legal consultations, and psychiatric care.
You must register with the New Zealand Nursing Board. Skills In Demand can advise on this.