COURSE INFORMATION

This is the second continuing education course in the Forensic Nursing Specialist Certification program curriculum focused on Theory and Practice. It presents students with key and important content related to the role of the forensic nurse in key areas such as; intimate partner violence, elder abuse, traumatic exposure of youth, posttraumatic stress disorder, the death investigation, and the collection and documentation of evidence from crime scenes and during death investigations. In each area of study theories are presented as well as content that is applicable to the Registered Nurse studying forensics. Students will learn key forensic concepts and then study these concepts as there are modeled into the role of the Forensic Nurse Specialist practicing today. Each practice area as defined above will detail the role of the Forensic Nurse and the important science and forensic nursing interventions required for safe and high-quality practice of this nursing specialty. The content presented is heavily referenced and provides the student with a vast number of resources for continued self-exploration on the topics. Students will come away at the successful completion of this course with a clear conceptualization of the role of the practicing Forensic Nurse Specialist today. It prepares students for the continued study of core concepts of forensic practice applications that are presented in the subsequent courses in the program.  Contact hours of education = 50. Course Code: FN 520.

Pre-requisite: You must be currently licensed as a Registered Nurse in order to register for this continuing education course and you must have successfully completed the first course, FN 500: Forensic Nursing: Theory & Practice I.

This course is particularly designed for registered nurses would like to apply for Certification in Forensic Nursing Practice by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc.

Instructor/Course Author: 

Michelle R. Most, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CC-EMT-P, EMT-P, SANE-A, SANE-P, DVNE, FN-CSp

Link to Resume: access here

&

Dominick L. Flarey, Ph.D, RN-BC, ANP-BC, GC-C

Link to Resume: access here

TIME FRAME: You are allotted two years from the date of enrollment, to complete all of the courses in the Forensic Nursing Practice program. There are no set time-frames, other than the two year allotted time. If you do not complete the courses within the two-year time-frame, you will be removed from the course and an “incomplete” will be recorded for you in our records. Also, if you would like to complete the courses after this two-year expiration time, you would need to register and pay the course tuition fee again.

Reading/Study Assignment: this course covers Chapters Eight (8) through Chapter Fourteen (14) in the required text book.

TEXTBOOK:

Forensic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice 2nd Edition. Rita M. Hammer, Barbara Moynihan, & Elaine M. Pagliaro. Jones & Bartlett Publishing Inc. 2011.
ISBN-10: 0763792004 ISBN-13: 978-0763792008 Paper back edition.

Link to Purchase on Amazon.com: click here

GRADING: You must achieve a passing score of at least 70% to complete this course and receive the 50 hours of awarded continuing education credit. There are no letter grades assigned. You will receive notice of your total % score. Those who score below the minimum of 70% will be contacted by the and options for completing additional course work to achieve a passing score, will be presented.

BOARD APPROVALS: AIHCP is an approved provider of continuing education by the Florida Board of Nursing and the District of Columbia Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975. Access information

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals (The Provider) is approved by the California Board of Registered Nurses, Provider number # CEP 15595 for 50 Contact Hours.

This course, which is approved by the Florida State Board Of Nursing (CE Provider # 50-11975) also has the following Board of Nursing Approvals, for 50 contact hours of CE

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Arkansas Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Georgia Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the South Carolina Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.
The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Professional Registered Nurses. CE Provider # 50-11975.
The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the New Mexico Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.

Course Refund & AIHCP Policies: access here

ONLINE CLASSROOM RESOURCES AND TOOLS

* Examination Access: there is link to take you right to the online examination program where you can print out your examination and work with it. All examinations are formatted as “open book” tests. When you are ready, you can access the exam program at anytime and click in your responses to the questions. Full information is provided in the online classrooms.

* Student Resource Center: there is a link for access to a web page “Student Resource Center.” The Resource Center provides for easy access to all of our policies/procedures and additional information regarding applying for certification. We also have many links to many outside reference sites, such as online libraries that you may freely access.

* Online Evaluation: there is a link in the classroom where you may access the course evaluation. All students completing a course, must, without exception, complete the course evaluation.

* Faculty Access Information: you will have access to your instructor’s online resume/biography, as well as your instructor’s specific contact information.

* Additional Learning Materials: some faculty have prepared additional “readings” and /or brief lecture notes to enhance your experience. All of these are available in the online classrooms.

Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Discuss the development of hospital-based domestic violence programs
• Review and discuss several screening tools for domestic violence
• Identify and discuss risk factors for domestic violence homicide
• Review and discuss the process for appropriately identifying injuries and wounds
• Review and discuss appropriate written documentation of injuries and wounds
• Review and discuss photographic documentation of injuries and wounds
• Define sexual abuse from a medical perspective
• Discuss the epidemiology of child sexual abuse
• Review and discuss the manifestations of child sexual abuse
• Understand the psychodynamics of child sexual abuse
• Identify and discuss the multidisciplinary issues involved in working with child sexual abuse
• Discuss the Children’s Advocacy Center Model
• Identify and Review the key elements and processes of the physical evaluation of a child sexual abuse examination
• Review the key elements of the medical history of a child sexual abuse evaluation
• Discuss testing for sexually transmitted diseases in the physical evaluation of a child sexual abuse examination
• Identify and discuss how forensic evidence is collected in the physical evaluation of a child sexual abuse examination
• Discuss significant sexually transmitted infections, including methods of infection and specificity for sexual abuse
• Discuss medical treatment considerations in the child who was sexually abused
• Discuss mental health treatment considerations in the child who was sexually abused
• Discuss the need’s of the family for support in cases of child sexual abuse
• Review and discuss judicial proceedings for cases of child sexual abuse
• Define and discuss major issues related to elder abuse
• Identify four key areas in which elder abuse occurs
• Define and discuss key issues in elder abuse of neglect, abandonment and self-neglect
• Discuss the scope of the problem with elder abuse
• Identify and discuss the legal protections available today for victims of elder abuse
• Discuss elder abuse in nursing homes and other places of care
• Identify and discuss the primary risk factors for the potential to abuse elders
• Identify those who may be abusers of the elderly
• Define and discuss the role of the Forensic Nurse in working with the abused elderly
• Discuss sexual assault/abuse of the elderly
• Discuss the elements of a comprehensive interview process for working with elders who are abused
• Identify and discuss the consequences of elder abuse
• Discuss the events involved in a call or report to Adult Protective Services
• Define and discuss the key issues related to youth and traumatic exposure
• Define and discuss the scope of the problem related to youth traumatic exposure
• Understand and discuss the implication of youth exposure to violence
• Discuss terrorism and its effect on our youth
• Review and understand issues related to posttraumatic stress disorder
• Identify and discuss chaotic aftermath
• Identify and discuss a quality interview format when working with youth who have had traumatic exposure
• Discuss primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies when working with traumatic exposure
• Define and discuss effective interventions for assisting youth with traumatic exposure
• Identify key strategies that may used in working with preteen and teenaged youth with traumatic exposure
• Compare and contrast the terms trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder
• Define and discuss Acute Stress Disorder
• Define and discuss the major theories of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Understand and discuss the issues of vulnerability and resilience to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Understand and discuss the subjective vs. the objective meaning of a stressor
• Discuss the perpetration of violence as a risk factor for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Compare and contrast PTSD from single incidents versus chronic incidents
• Identify and understand Complex PTSD
• Discuss psychiatric comorbidity and PTSD
• Identify and discuss the major treatment modalities for PTSD
• Review four key interviewing techniques when working with patients experiencing PTSD
• Define patient populations that forensic nurses work with that may be suffering with PTSD
• Discuss professional practice considerations for forensic nursing working with patients suffering with PTSD
• Review and discuss the history of death investigation
• Review and discuss the major roles today of the death investigator
• Discuss and understand the determination of death
• Review and discuss major issues related to the cause and manner of death
• Define and discuss the death certificate
• Define and discuss key concepts of homicide, suicide and accident
• Discuss the role of the clinical forensic nurse in death investigation
• Review and discuss time of death and postmortem changes related to death investigation
• Discuss and understand key processes in human decomposition
• Identify, review and discuss key issues for forensic nurses related to identification of human remains
• Identify and discuss the major types of injuries that may be found and assessed during a death investigation
• Review and discuss wound assessment during death investigation related to gunshots
• Discuss analysis of evidence related to death due to gunshots
• Review and discuss key issues related to death due to Asphyxia
• Identify and discuss the key types of deaths due to Asphyxia
• Discuss the basic theories related to evidence collection and documentation
• Discuss the crime scene
• Review and discuss the role of the forensic nurse in evidence collection and documentation at a crime scene
• Describe and discuss the functions of the forensic laboratory
• Discuss the key issues and elements for the documentation of physical evidence
• Discuss the key issues of important for considerations of clinical photography
• Define and discuss the process for the collection of evidence from the deceased patient
• Revie and discuss key issues related to evidence from a poisoning or an overdose
• Identify and discuss the legal issues related to evidence collection and documentation
• Discuss key issues related to HIPAA and evidence documentation
• Review photographic evidence from various crime scenes

COURSE CONTENT

• Forensic implications of intimate partner violence
• Development of hospital-based domestic violence programs
• Screening tools for domestic violence
• Intimate partner related violence
• Identify injuries and wounds in domestic partner violence
• Written and photographic documentation in domestic violence investigation
• Child and adolescent sexual abuse
• Manifestations and psychodynamics of child sexual abuse
• Physical evaluation of children who are sexually abused
• Testing for sexually transmitted diseases in the evaluating of sexually abused children
• Forensic evidence collection in the sexually abused child examination
• Medical and mental health treatment of the sexually abused child
• Judicial proceedings in child sexual abuse cases
• Crimes against the elderly
• Common types of elder abuse
• Scope of the problem of elder abuse today
• Legal protections for elders being abused
• Types of abusers of the elderly
• Role of the forensic nurse in cases of elder abuse
• Sexual assault as a form of elder abuse
• The interview process in assessing elders who have been sexually abused
• Consequences of elder abuse
• Youth exposure to violence
• Scope of the problem of youth exposure to violence
• The implication of youth exposure to violence
• Forensic nursing interventions in working with youth exposure to violence
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Trauma
• Acute Stress Disorder
• Theories of PTSD
• Perpetration of violence as a risk factor for PTSD
• Treatment modalities for PTSD
• Interview techniques when working with clients with PTSD
• Professional practice considerations when working with PTSD
• Death Investigation
• History of death investigation
• Role of the medical examiner
• Causes and manners of death
• Time of death and postmortem changes
• Human decomposition
• Identification of human remains
• Types of injuries seen in death investigations
• Guns and gunshot wounds
• Analysis of evidence
• Death by asphyxia
• Evidence collection and documentation
• Locard’s Principle of Exchange
• Crime Scene Investigation and the role of the Forensic Nurse
• Forensic Evidence
• Evidence recognition and collection
• Recognition of physical abuse at the crime scene
• Evidence packaging
• Functions of the Forensic Laboratory
• Documentation of physical evidence
• Collection of evidence from the deceased patient
• Evidence from poisoning or overdose
• Legal considerations in evidence collection and documentation
• Review of photographic documentation from crime scenes