As I left Montreal today, many thoughts weighed heavy on my mind. Foremost was the future of Forensic Nursing in the military.
Saturday, I attended a morning workshop on understanding ballistic patterns (entrance/exit wounds) in police shootings, whether they be self inflicted or police on suspect, or police on police. The speaker was a physician from Louisville Kentucky (Dr William Smock), who currently has four forensic nurses working on his staff. They contract with the local police department to assist in investigations of shootings when they occur. When he was done with his lecture, I was once again inundated with thoughts of what I already had instinctively known (and considered for years) in my military career. Military forensic nurses are a specialty that the Department of Defense needs to glean, grow, and utilize...not just for sexual assault cases (they currently refer most of their sexual assault cases out to civilian services)...but for other issues related to violence. Their expertise should be in every military treatment facility, and should be utilized for issues such as domestic violence, child abuse/assault, death investigation, aggravated assault and weapons assaults (to include shootings). I've pondered today why it is such a huge leap, and/or why the military seems unwilling to utilize such a viable amount of professional expertise. I think part of it is simply the unwillingness to believe in their own resources and expertise. To be sure, the military has strength in the fact that it can standardize it's medical-legal care, and even serve to be innovative and press forward with a profession that would put it on the map and simultaneously provide an answer to many of it's problems. Perhaps one day, the organization will take the leap. To be sure, my presentations seem to have fallen on deaf ears. They seem to slam flat in the face of 'chain of command'. Perhaps there just needs to be a champion. Someone at a higher level that can assist in these efforts. Until the military develops an expertise in clinical forensics and forensic nursing, and lets the profession grow... it will always fall short of its prevention and response programs.
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*Disclaimer: This blog is solely the opinions and experiences expressed by the author and in no way reflects the opinions, policies or beliefs of the U.S. Government, the DoD or United States Navy.
Saturday, I attended a morning workshop on understanding ballistic patterns (entrance/exit wounds) in police shootings, whether they be self inflicted or police on suspect, or police on police. The speaker was a physician from Louisville Kentucky (Dr William Smock), who currently has four forensic nurses working on his staff. They contract with the local police department to assist in investigations of shootings when they occur. When he was done with his lecture, I was once again inundated with thoughts of what I already had instinctively known (and considered for years) in my military career. Military forensic nurses are a specialty that the Department of Defense needs to glean, grow, and utilize...not just for sexual assault cases (they currently refer most of their sexual assault cases out to civilian services)...but for other issues related to violence. Their expertise should be in every military treatment facility, and should be utilized for issues such as domestic violence, child abuse/assault, death investigation, aggravated assault and weapons assaults (to include shootings). I've pondered today why it is such a huge leap, and/or why the military seems unwilling to utilize such a viable amount of professional expertise. I think part of it is simply the unwillingness to believe in their own resources and expertise. To be sure, the military has strength in the fact that it can standardize it's medical-legal care, and even serve to be innovative and press forward with a profession that would put it on the map and simultaneously provide an answer to many of it's problems. Perhaps one day, the organization will take the leap. To be sure, my presentations seem to have fallen on deaf ears. They seem to slam flat in the face of 'chain of command'. Perhaps there just needs to be a champion. Someone at a higher level that can assist in these efforts. Until the military develops an expertise in clinical forensics and forensic nursing, and lets the profession grow... it will always fall short of its prevention and response programs.
*****
*Disclaimer: This blog is solely the opinions and experiences expressed by the author and in no way reflects the opinions, policies or beliefs of the U.S. Government, the DoD or United States Navy.
Wow! I'm a nursing student and plan to be forensic nurse. I thought regularly where to work after graduation. And when I selected army, I must say I didn't expect it to be this board. This information gave me a new insite and I would definitely give my best to it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much.