Forensic Nurse Examiner

Forensic Center of Excellence
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Forensic Nurse Examiner

An TXFNE Forensic Nurse Examiner provides provide timely, non-judgmental, compassionate medical forensic care to individuals who have experienced sexual assault, intimate partner violence, strangulation, elder abuse, or other violent trauma. Forensic nurses work closely with victim advocates, law enforcement, criminal justice officials, and attorneys. Forensic nurses report to the Nursing Director and work in collaboration with the Clinical Leadership Team.

Qualifications

All Forensic Nurses must:

• Be a Registered Nurse with current licensure to practice nursing in the State of Texas from an accredited school of nursing (with BSN degree within 3 years);
• Have a minimum of 12- months of work experience in an emergency department or other critical care environment;
• Complete 40 hours of didactic (classroom/online) training as specified by IAFN standards;
• Complete clinical rotations and training per TXFNE guidelines and IAFN standards;
• Have a valid driver's license and dependable transportation;
• Be eligible to work in the United States;
• Must meet requirements for background investigation (including criminal history);
• Must meet requirements for immunizations, vaccines and drug screen;
• Work immediately on state training certification and have this completed within 6-months of employment
• Be prepared to sit for the SANE-A and SANE-P certification with the goal of passing both within 3 years of employment.
• Verbalize a strong and unwavering commitment to accuracy, including routine double-checking to honor an organizational commitment to zero patient- impact errors.
• Be able to lift materials weighing up to 20 pounds;
• Be able to type 40 words per minute;
• BLS certified; and,
• Be able to work independently.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain a schedule of on-call and/or on-site shifts, including overnight, weekend, and holiday shifts per TXFNE policies;
• Respond to TXFNE’s designated hospitals or any other TXFNE location within ninety minutes (90) of being contacted for a patient exam;
• Perform medical forensic exams on victims of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, elder abuse and other abuse or violent trauma, including: o Head-to-toe medical assessment for trauma o Detailed genital/anal examination o Forensic specimen collection and supportive documentation

Revised 1/1/16

o Photo documentation of bodily and genital-anal injuries with competent documentation

• Administer prophylactic medications and emergency contraception per TXFNE policy;
• Work strictly within the guidelines set by the Texas state board of nursing’s scope of practice and follows physician-approved delegated orders or clarifies orders with the physician or mid-level practitioner when special circumstances require possible deviation from approved orders;
• Assess for mandatory reporting status and report when appropriate;
• Maintain strict chain of custody and adheres to best practice when working with evidence;
• Ensure patient/medical record confidentiality at all times (HIPAA);
• Maintain professional standards that do not create conflict of interests with employment or patient care;
• Works cooperatively and professional when working with all members of TXFNE, the multidisciplinary team and community partners;
• Provide accurate billing information immediately following patient exams;
• Provide scheduling requests and manage personal timesheet per policy;
• Updates Nursing Director with any problems or unusual circumstances in a timely fashion;
• Provide witness testimony in prosecutions, preparing and interpreting reports for the criminal justice system to any/all cases performed while employed with TXFNE, even if the person is no longer employed with TXFNE. TXFNE is not responsible for costs/expenses associated with testimony after employment ends;
• Attend monthly Peer Reviews, staff meetings and quarterly self-care activities;
• Perform Quality Improvement (QI) evaluation on medical forensic charts, as directed by TXFNE leadership with an on-site minimum of three (3) hours per quarter;
• Maintain expertise as a forensic nurse through continuing education, engagement with professional community, and review of current research and literature;
• Advocates will exercise good judgement and appropriate professional boundaries with clients, families and support persons. Personal relationships are contraindicated and unprofessional relationships may be cause for disciplinary action;
• Nurses will work in partnership with advocacy to provide superior services and evaluate care in an ongoing manner for opportunities for improvement;
• Nurses will provide community education awareness, presentations and marketing outreach functions to support the growth of TXFNE;
• Nurses will respect the mission and core values of TXFNE and embrace opportunities for life-long learning and,
• Other duties as assigned by the Clinical Nursing Director or other members of leadership, including participation in community outreach/awareness and education events.

Work Environment
This position operates in a professional office environment with occasional noise and unscheduled interruptions. Sitting for long periods is typical.

Physical Demands
This position requires speaking and hearing. Frequent typing and writing is customary. Bending and twisting could occur regularly. The employee must be able to life 10 pounds occasionally.

Travel Requirements
This position requires infrequent travel around Harris and surrounding counties. Travel outside the local area is possible, depending on current business goals. Advocates may utilize the company automobile for work-related travel if they meet the requirements outline in the TXFNE policy and procedure and they are listed as a driver in the insurance documents.

Other Duties and Functions
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Equal Employment Opportunity
This organization is fully committed to equal employment opportunity, maximum utilization of all employees, and employment and advancement regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal or local law. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $74,880.00 - $93,600.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Medical specialties:

• Emergency Medicine
• Trauma Medicine

Physical setting:

• Acute care
• Clinic

Standard shift:

• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Night shift

Application Question(s):

• Do you have a reliable method of transportation to drive to and from various locations on shift?

Experience:

• Nursing: 2 years (Required)

License/Certification:

• RN (Required)
• BLS Certification (Required)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Required)
• Night Shift (Required)
• Overnight Shift (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Houston, TX (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Houston, TX: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: On the road

Salary : $74,880 - $93,600