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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 8
Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education
Community Nursing 2018
November 19-21, 2018
November 19-21, 2018 Cape Town, South Africa
International Conference on
Community Nursing and Public Health
Clinical forensic nursing: Realities of dual responsibility (job functions versus obligations to act)
Volene Werely
Western Cape Government, South Africa
C
linical Forensic Medicine (CFM) has been defined as: A comprehensive clinical medico-legal investigative service, usually
concerning living persons, with interaction between legal, judicial, social and law enforcement systems. The South African
Nursing Council states that the Clinical Forensic Nurses (CFN) are the registered Professional nurses who are trained in
forensic clinical medicine that are authorized to examine, take forensic evidence for investigation, provide counseling and
testing, and testify in court. It was established that there is currently no formal nursing structure, competency, skill and profile
for the professional nurse who is rendering services at these units. According to Prof Sine Duma (Senior Lecturer in Forensic
Nursing, University of Cape Town) the professional nurse who was/is working in these areas (Thuthuzela centres) is referred
to as a SANE (Sexual Assault Forensic Nurse Examiner), however the question which must be answered is the aforementioned,
the only skill and competency required to be working in the clinical forensic units. An explorative investigation was conducted
to provide clarity on the position of the Clinical Forensic Nurse within the practice setting. The objective was to describe and
understand the scope of practice of the CFN, the complexities within the realities of the current context in which they must
execute their functions. Exploring the CFN’s dual roles as: (1) a professional nurse and (2) that obligations required by the
criminal system. Is the work content sufficient to ensure that allocation of the position of a Clinical Forensic Nurse (CFN) as
a specialist nurse be established? According to South African Nursing Council (SANC) the CFN is regarded as an advanced
professional nurse practitioner. The different scopes of the CFN lend it to specific patient assessments such as: Sexual Assault
Nurse Examiner (SANE), the question arises, is it befitting that this PN be regarded as a CFN or just a PN with a specific
competency?
Biography
Volene Werely is an expert in the field of Nursing Practice. Clinical Forensic Nursing is an untapped field of nursing which needs to be explored and concretized.
volenew@gmail.comVolene Werely, J Community Med Health Educ 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0711-C6-047