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An exciting new era in clinical forensic nursing is emerging. This fresh challenge for nurses involves assessing clients in a new way - looking for answers to the unknown by the understanding, discovery, preservation, and use of evidence. Although these skills may be incorporated into other nursing roles, nurses are embarking into a new area; A rising number of nurses are venturing into the nontraditional role of the nurse-coroner. The intent of this personal account is to inform nurses of the vital, but often misunderstood role we can have in the medicolegal (medical expertise applied to the legal justice system) investigation of death.
What Is a Coroner?
The coroner is a public official who is primarily charged with the duty of determining how and why people under the coroner's jurisdiction die (these jurisdictions vary from state to state, but typically include sudden, unexpected, unexplained, or traumatic deaths). Today, the person who accepts the responsibilities that go with this job must be a unique individual. This person must act as a department director in county government and must administer the office in a professional manner, including development of its philosophy, mission, goals, objectives, policies, procedures, annual budgets, press releases, and reports. The position also involves staff management, public speaking, and continuing education.
He or she must become politically active. In some states, coroners are considered some of the highest ranking law enforcement officials in the county.
They must become skilled in scene and evidence preservation, as well as investigative protocols. These skills are relatively easy to learn with proper training. Also, these skills must become an integral part of daily practice, as the coroner plays a key role in the system of checks and balances within the legal system. This person must possess medical knowledge in order to be able to make judgments based on symptomatology, history, post-mortem appearance, toxicology, and other diagnostic studies, combined with evidence revealed by other aspects of the investigation. Although it usually is assumed that the coroner has a medical background, many states have no such requirement. For instance, in Wisconsin, the coroner is elected, the medical examiner is appointed, and no medical credentials are required for either position. This is where the forensic nurse has begun to create an impact...