Forensic Nurses Week honors those with unique nursing specialty

by Madalyn Grass, Virtual Student Federal Service Intern, IHS Office of Urban Indian Health Programs

November 14, 2019

November 11–15, 2019, marks Forensic Nurses Week. During this special week
we honor the extraordinary work of nurses who practice in this unique
nursing specialty across our Indian health system. Forensic nurses have the
knowledge and expertise to decrease the healthcare consequences of
violence, improve patient recovery, and lower healthcare costs. As the
fastest growing nursing specialty, forensic nursing serves to ensure that
patients who are affected by violence receive expert, compassionate, and
comprehensive care.

Victims of violence and abuse require care from health professionals who
are trained to identify and treat trauma patients. These professionals
provide forensic medical care for injuries sustained from violent acts such
as sexual assault, intimate partner violence, neglect, or other forms of
intentional injury. Forensic healthcare is a critical element for healing
in Native communities as Native people experience the highest rates of
interpersonal violence and more than half of Native people have experienced
some form of sexual violence, according to the Department of Justice.

Our forensic nurses play a vital role in the care of victims. They provide
medical treatment and evaluation and have a specialized knowledge in injury
identification and evidence collection. Forensic nurses are supportive of
victims both in and out of the healthcare setting. These nurses are
advocates for prevention education and are a critical resource for
anti-violence efforts. Forensic nurses are familiar with the legal system
and assist with the prosecution of individuals who commit acts of abuse by
testifying in a court of law.

Staying connected to the world of forensic healthcare is how health
professionals can better serve our Native communities. The
IHS Forensic Healthcare
webpage provides our healthcare providers with access to domestic and
sexual violence training. The site also allows access to webinars on topics
such as strangulation evaluation, historical trauma, neurobiology of
trauma, and forensic photography.

We honor our forensic nurses’ commitment to providing culturally
appropriate and compassionate care to our Native patients!

Related content:

Forensic Nurses Week

IHS Forensic Healthcare

Programs & Initiatives

Where this page came from

This page was imported from Indian Health Service. Published on the Indian Health Service's blog and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain; portraits are not copied.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.