NRS 485 Forensic Nursing 2

Forensic Nursing II delves deeper into the specialized practice of forensic nursing with an introduction to medicolegal death investigation. Death investigation builds on the concepts of forensic nursing I determine the cause and manner of death, an important public service. This course will include the following concepts: death investigation systems, application of post mortem science to determine the cause and manner of death, post mortem evaluation procedures, death scene processing, forensic assessment, autopsy procedures, exploration of various manners and causes of death; and interprofessional collaboration with the legal and law enforcement systems. The student will participate in clinical observation and skill learning specific to the field of death investigation.

 

Credits

3

Prerequisite

NRS 444

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Apply knowledge of various medicolegal death investigation systems, including the roles of forensic nurses, medical examiners, coroners, criminal justice, legal, and public health professions in determining the cause and manner of death, and the impact of medicolegal death investigations
2. Analyze post-mortem science and the application of biological and forensic principles to determine the cause and manner of death, with an understanding of common post-mortem evaluation procedures
3. Conduct a thorough forensic assessment and identify steps in processing death scenes, recognizing key evidence, and evaluate the signs that may indicate the cause and manner of death
4. Describe the autopsy process, including its purpose in determining the cause and manner of death and understand its relevance in forensic nursing
5. Identify and differentiate various causes and manners of death, including natural, accidental, suicide, homicide, and undetermined, and recognize the impact of these classifications on medicolegal proceedings