Are you interested in Fitchburg State's nursing programs? As part of the GCE Blog's "Our Faculty" series, we introduce Dr. Deborah Stone, Chair of the Forensic Nursing program.
Tell us about your experience in Forensic Nursing.
The majority of my experience as a forensic RN has been as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). Many facilities utilize the role of a SANE combined with a generalist forensic RN role. This includes providing care, evidence collection, and documentation (photographs, diagrams, and narrative) for any forensic patient. Forensic patients seek healthcare which is, or will be, related to a legal proceeding. Common examples include patients who experience domestic violence, child or elder abuse/neglect, sexual assault/perpetration. Other infrequent examples in my experience include photo-documentation of a shark bite, and photo-documentation of a deceased motor vehicle collision victim (MVC) where the airbag failed to deploy. In addition to clinical practice roles, I also have experience as a legal nurse consultant. Most of my work with attorneys involved extensive record review and writing reports. The SANE role includes providing a physical examination, collection of evidence, and testifying in court as an expert and/or fact witness. In 2010, I was approached by the Massachusetts Board of Nursing and asked to create a presentation that details when cardio-pulmonary resuscitation should and should not be done.
