Forensic Nurse: The New Role of the Nurse in Law Enforcement

by Serita Stevens

ON THE FRONT LINES
A young victim of a hit and run is brought to the ER...A college student thinks she may have been raped....A homeless man is covered with chemical burns but won't say how he got them... Across the country, in moments of crisis, nurses are often the first witnesses to acts of trauma. And when the human body itself is a crime scene, what a nurse does--from asking the right questions to preserving the key evidence--can make all the difference in the world.

IN THE HEART OF THE ACTION
Now, a new kind of nurse is being deployed to the front lines. Detective, advocate, specially trained forensic nurses play an increasingly critical role in cases of violence, negligence and mayhem--and giving justice a fighting chance.

AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME...
This book chronicles dozens of riveting cases, from the bizarre to the commonplace. Spotlighting pioneering personalities in forensic nursing today, this book shows how forensic nurses do their job, why they often become key witnesses in trials, and how these unsung heroes help police solve society's most baffling crimes.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Medicine, Nursing, Crime, Medical

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

About the author

Sometimes also published as Megan MacDonnell, Shira Stevens, Serita Mendelson Stevens, or Serita Deborah Stevens.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is really a 1.5 star book. It is an interesting subject but the book has no meat to it.

I like my books to have a definite beginning, middle and satisfying conclusion. This book is very disturbing to read because it starts off defining and defending the role of the forensic nurse, detailing how she has to fight for acceptance in the various health and legal disciplines she works in and illustrates this with short anecdotes (the only interesting bits) but it never gets beyond this defining and defending. You could easily swap the middle and end chapters and not realise it; there is no progression to the book at all. The slight, journalistic style of writing is ideally suited to a career manual but doesn't have the depth that would make a book interesting.

Really, it would be better condensed and reissued as a series of pamphlets for would-be nurses looking at the various career specialities open to them.

Recommended to people interested in a nursing career who have a strong interest in the legal - or criminal - side of how someone ended up in medical care. It's a well-paid career and sounds to be a very interesting one indeed.

Read in 2008, found, skimmed through and reviewed in 2012

[Jamie LaRow · Rating 4 out of 5]

so informative and makes me proud to be a part of such a wide ranged/important profession

[Kaitron · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am quite interested in this subject, but this book is practically unreadable. It is bad enough that a RN would write so incoherently, but the editor should be looking for another profession. This book jumps from one unrelated anecdote to fact to observation, sometimes within the same paragraph. Horrendous.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

All told, a worthy dollar store find. After reading this book, it is clear to me that it takes a special breed of nurse to be a forensic nurse. However, their role in examining victims of crimes is key and the main purpose of this book is to encourage more nurses to become specialized in forensics and also for more communities to put forensic nurses in their hospitals.
I would hope to never need the services of a forensic nurse, but should that not be the case, I would also hope that the hospital where I work, which serves a big city and has all the high-profile specialty treatment facilities, has chosen to employ forensic nurses in its ERs.
This book is also good about educating the public. These nurses are specifically trained what to look for when doing their investigative examinations, so they can sort out the real from the self-inflicted damage. Also, the author stresses how important small evidence may be in the investigation, and not to shower or change clothes if abuse has happened, as there might be trace evidence lost if such acts are taken.
The anecdotes tend to be short and few cases are discussed in great detail, that is my only complaint. It feels like lots of people are interviewed, and in the effort to allow everyone to contribute, no one person is able to paint a complete picture.

[Verona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about how nurses gather evidence for crimes. I enjoyed the case stories. didn’t enjoy as much The history of how forensic nursing came to be, but I can see why it’s needed in the book.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was excited about the topic, but I can barely hang on and may not be able to finish. The writing is repetitive, incoherent, and choppy; barely making a case for what seems to be a necessary profession. I'm going to search for for a more recent, and hopefully, a more concise and easier-to-read book.

[Ice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author, a registered nurse and mystery writer (Bagels for Tea), does an excellent job of conveying the importance of an emerging medical specialty. Because forensic nurses—described by Stevens as "law enforcement's secret weapon," with a "unique combination of medical skill, legal knowledge, and criminology"—are often first on the scene of a crime or in an emergency room, they are in a unique position to collect evidence regarding accidents, alleged sexual assault, spousal abuse and other violent incidents. Stevens details how forensic nurses are trained to preserve and interpret evidence that physicians may overlook.

A sexual assault nurse examiner, for example, assists alleged rape victims with a careful physical examination, an in-depth interview and emotional support. Stevens shows how savvy FNs deal with physicians who resent forensic nurses, viewing them as encroaching on their territory (she suggests telling the doc, " 'I would love to have you do this exam... the whole six hours of interviewing... and doing the evidence collection.' See how quickly they back out"). Drawing on case histories, Stevens describes how forensic nurses are trained to remain objective, serve as legal witnesses and work with law enforcement. She also highlights the problems these skilled nurses face, such as inadequate compensation.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was informative, but I didn't think it was very well written. I did learn a lot about an area of nursing I had previously not been aware of - forensic nursing. Forensic nurses contribute to law enforcement by collecting evidence and testifying in court. For example, a forensic nurse might examine a rape victim and testify about the evidence that she found at trial. Or an FN might examine a child or vulnerable adult when abuse is suspected, or even examine a corpse for evidence of homicide. The case examples were very interesting and did a great job of clarifying the role of the forensic nurse. However, the book could have used a tighter edit - it was kind of repetitive and I was distracted by the "political" remarks that the author made. I don't mean political as in about government politics, I mean political as in airing complaints about different factions in the nursing community. I found that a bit jarring. Overall, though, this book is worth a skim if you're interested in learning more about the field of forensic nursing.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

overall it was an ok book. I did not like how one sided it was. I felt like the author made doctors/police officers/attorneys/anyone who wasn't a nurse or a victim all sound like the "bad guys" trying to undermine the forensic nurse's authority and expertise. I also found the patients' stories that the author wrote about were all very brief with not enough detail to make them interesting. I am currently a Registered Nurse so I found the book interesting because I work in the field, but to someone who isn't in healthcare the book will probably drag.

[Joy Shak · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave it 2 stars because it wasn't the type of book I thought it would be. I was expecting something that was written for a medical audience that would already be somewhat familiar with policy and procedure. The tone of this made me feel that it was written more for people who are interested in different areas of nursing, but aren't a nurse yet or have a medical background.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many aspects of forensic nursing are examined, as well as the future.

Very interesting read. A new type of forensics. Cases are usually very short and quickly move to new ones, interspersed with facts and statistics.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an "alright" kinda book. Not what I expected based on the title. It wasn't particularly captivating for me.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not as engaging as I expected. I did like the book and generally like forensic mysteries. It was good to read about the actual experiences of a forensic nurse.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dry and a bit hard to get through at times, but it did contain a lot of good information on the topics presented.

[Anna Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting, but very outdated at this point. I think it is aimed towards a general audience rather than a nurse.