How to Become a Forensic Nurse

Forensic nurses help merge the healthcare and legal systems. They are skilled in treating patients with trauma related to violence and disaster and providing them with emotional support. This nursing specialty involves collecting evidence, serving as an expert witness in court, and collaborating with law enforcement.

Find out how to become a forensic nurse, including education, certification and licensure, salary data, potential career tracks, and other important considerations.

Forensic nursing is a broad field with concentrated areas of practice. The International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) defines the profession as “the practice of nursing globally when health and legal systems intersect.”

A forensic nurse receives specialized training that integrates the latest thinking in healthcare, forensic science, and criminal justice. Bridging the gap between healthcare and the law, forensic nurses provide treatment and legal support for survivors of abuse, assault, neglect, violence, mass disasters, and similar events.

Becoming a forensic nurse opens the door to a nursing career that helps solve crimes and achieve justice. These professionals work closely with law enforcement by performing detailed physical examinations and collecting evidence. Another key role is providing emotional and psychological support to the patient.

Forensic nurses can serve as part of multidisciplinary teams in rape crisis centers, hospitals, coroner’s and medical examiner’s offices, prisons and jails, and psychiatric hospitals. They may also be part of quick-response units that mobilize when communities are facing a crisis.

The work of the forensic nurse calls for critical thinking skills, physical assessment, compassion, attention to detail, and good communication skills. An understanding of the law is also important in forensic nursing.

Forensic nursing is a specialty and requires a registered nurse (RN) license. You can become a licensed RN by obtaining an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN).

Some employers and positions may require forensic nursing certification and experience, but others may hire RNs with medical-surgical (med-surg) experience and provide on-the-job training.

Becoming a forensic nurse requires licensure as either an RN or an APRN. Once a nurse has passed a licensing exam, continuing education requirements are regulated by each state’s board of nursing.

Certification is not required to be a forensic nurse, but it is recommended. It can help with career advancement and greater employment options. Significant forensic experience is typically required to succeed in the certification exam.

The IAFN offers two certification tracks:

To sit for either exam through the ANCC, the nurse applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements:

A nurse’s clinical experience and professional resume largely determine their ability to find a position and become a forensic nurse. Skills in networking, the job search process, and interviewing are also factors.

After graduation, traditional job sites and boards can be great platforms to search for a nursing position, including in forensic nursing. In particular, professional organizations and networking sites like LinkedIn can be valuable resources for job searching.

Forensic nurses also work in settings like coroner’s and medical examiner’s offices, corrections facilities, domestic violence centers, and psychiatric hospitals. Forensic nurses may need to respond to mass disasters or community crisis situations.

Forensic nurses subspecialty areas include:

Current salary data indicates that forensic nurses may often earn less money than many of their nursing colleagues. According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for a forensic nurse in 2024 is $65,470 per year. Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that RNs earned a median annual salary of $86,070 in 2023.

At the same time, the BLS projects 6% annual growth for the entire nursing field between 2022 and 2032 — twice the national average of 3% for all occupations.