Forensic Nurse Certifications

A forensic nurse is one who has great observation skills, who can recognize and identify evidence of crimes or abuse, collect it and document it properly for use in convicting perpetrators of crime. But, first, a nurse must go through training and receive certification before practicing forensic nursing professionally.

There are several 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 curriculum which focuses on:

    * Victimology
    * Perpetrator Theory
    * Forensic Mental/Psychiatric Health
    * Interpersonal Violence (same sex or otherwise)
    * Criminology
    * Criminal Justice

Those who undergo these certification 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 in which one can acquire forensic nurse education or training:

• Via certification programs provided by universities that offer forensic nursing aside from traditionally structured courses that lead to a nursing degree.
• Via continuing education programs that professional nurses undergo for renewal of their licenses.
• Via undergraduate or graduate nursing courses or elective subjects on forensic nursing that are often offered as part of a certification program.
• Via Masters of Science with a degree in Nursing, with 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 tend to focus more on sexual assault cases, they are still helpful in other cases like domestic violence and various types of abuse (verbal, physical, emotional, psychological).

Synonyms: nursin, nusing, nuring, nurseing and nusring are typos for "nursing."