Society & Culture & Entertainment Education

Forensic Nursing Programs: The Bright Future of Nursing Industry

Forensic nursing programs are slowly emerging in the nursing industry. Today, we will tackle this promising nursing program to help shed light on this career option.

Did you know that nurses are not only confined in clinics, hospitals, parishes and other healthcare institutions? There are so many other workplaces for nurses now. Some nurses are assigned to deal with more legal matters such as collection of evidences and care for victims and perpetrators. If you are a nurse and interested in law, you may want to consider the different programs offered by schools and universities.

Nursing programs are not as popular as other nursing specialties, but the industry surely has a very bright future ahead. If you are wondering what forensic nursing is all about, we will be listing for you some of the most important details to help you understand this program.

As most experts define this type of nursing, it is the intersection point of law and medicine/nursing.

In general, forensic nursing focuses on the treatment of the perpetrators and their victims.

Aside from treating the perpetrators and victims, These nurses also have the responsibility of collecting valuable evidences whenever necessary. The evidences collected will be used to strengthen or weaken the different court claims. This task is very important because it can determine the outcome of a court proceeding.

In some cases, a nurse can also be called to become an expert witness. They will also work hand-in-hand with police officers when needed.

These programs are quite new. Because of this, there are only few options to choose from when it comes to forensic nursing education.

The two options you have are the following: First, you can take a master's degree in forensic nursing or you can take a forensic training to get a certificate.

These types of nurses are often seen in three main workplaces. First, they can work in hospitals. Just like what we have mentioned earlier, they will be responsible in giving care to the perpetrators and victims. Second, they can also be assigned in correctional facilities. Lastly, they can also be found in some nursing homes.

Aside from the tradition schools, some institutions offer forensic nursing programs online. This is the choice for people who are remotely located.

Forensic nurses can expect a good salary. However, just like any job, the salary will depend on many factors such as the place you are assigned to, your educational background, your experience/expertise and your location. You can earn as much as $82,000 annually.

These programs can take around two to six years. The length will depend on many factors such as the specific program. You have to remember that forensic nursing has various subspecialties such as the following:

1. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
2. Correctional Nurse
3. Forensic Psychiatric Nurse
4. Death Investigator
5. Forensic Gerontology Specialist

There are many programs available. You just have to determine what specific career path you want to take. We are hoping that this article was able to help you understand the program better.


Leave a reply