forensic nurse - Editor's Letter

Some of you already know that I started my publishing career in newspapers before working in magazine and trade journal publishing. In the late 1980s, journalism was still very much a man’s domain, and it was rare for a young woman to capture a seat of power and influence among the crusty old cronies who ruled the newsroom. I still have the coffee cup my mom bought me in 1987 that says, “Whatever a woman does she must do twice as well as a man to be considered half as good.” She thought that it would be a good reminder as I climbed up the publishing ranks. Even today, there are numerous media outlets where talented, creative, business-savvy women cannot break into the upper echelons of editorial management. While women have made great strides in so many professions, the glass ceilings that our mothers or even we have bumped into can remain in the most unlikely places. Nursing is no longer only “woman’s work,” but women do still represent the vast majority of nurses in every specialty.

My intent here is not to start a gender war, but to liken women’s fight for respect to forensic nurses’ fight for respect, especially when they battle against the “just a nurse” syndrome in their quest to establish equal footing with their colleagues in the forensic, medical and criminal justice sciences. Let’s revisit that old coffee-cup slogan with a new noun: Whatever a forensic nurse does she/he must do twice as well as a (fill in the blank) to be considered half as good.” Has a more modern ring to it, doesn’t it?

As I communicated with various forensic nurses about their fight to break into death investigation for this issue’s story (see page 19), the same patterns emerged: the desire to be seen as a serious-minded professional; the need to have access to the same kinds of career opportunities; the overwhelming thirst for the proper training, education and credentialing that would win them jobs, promotions, grants, tenure and most of all, respect from the forensic pathologists, investigators, forensic scientists, members of law enforcement, prosecutors — nearly anyone who comes in contact with a forensic nurse.

As a forensic nurse, you are still largely a sometimes invisible, nearly-impossible-to-quantify and equally hard-to-qualify entity. It is amazing how few people know about you yet how many people somehow appreciate you. You are still flying below the radar, still not counted in the medical-sociological census, if you will. But take heart. Even the smallest step forward counts on the mileage odometer toward recognition, acceptance and reward. And remember that coffee-cup slogan mentioned earlier? It has a kicker of a secret closing line on the bottom of the cup: “Fortunately, this is not difficult.” Enough said.

Please be sure to turn to page 15 to check out the Forensic Focus 2004 brochure.

Advancing the frontiers of the forensic nursing community,