A Practical Guide to Forensic Nursing: Incorporating Forensic Principles into Nursing Practice, 2016 AJN Award Recipient

Victims of violence are unfortunately ever-present in healthcare today. Regardless of the setting, nurses are often the first to interact with victims and regularly must step into uncomfortable or difficult situations. To ensure patient and provider safety and enable the best possible outcomes, every nurse should be well-versed in forensic and theoretical issues of violence. A Practical Guide to Forensic Nursing is an evidence-based guide to understanding and applying forensic nursing science. Authors Angela F. Amar and L. Kathleen Sekula introduce practical and theoretical perspectives on violence and provide valuable resources, including injury assessment and violence prevention strategies as well as an overview of relevant legal, ethical, societal, and policy issues. Whether you are a student, new nurse, or experienced clinician, you will find the right tools and strategies to broaden your understanding of violence and help you integrate forensic science into your patient care.

Angela F. Amar, PhD, RN, FAAN, is an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for BSN education in the Neil Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. She is Co-chair of the Expert Panel on Violence of the American Academy of Nursing and a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Biological and Psychosocial Effects of Peer Victimization: Lessons for Bullying Prevention. She received the 2015 Excellence in Practice and Policy award from the Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International, and she is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Association of Forensic Nurses.

L. Kathleen Sekula, PhD, PMHCNS, FAAN, is a Professor at Duquesne University School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she created the HRSA-funded MSN, DNP, and PhD forensic programs. She served as President of the International Association of Forensic Nurses Certification Board, was a member of the editorial review board for the International Journal of Forensic Nursing, and is a recipient of the Virginia Lynch Pioneer in Nursing Award from the International Association of Forensic Nurses.