What is a Medicolegal Death Investigator?
The role of the medicolegal death investigator is to investigate any death that falls under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner or coroner, including all suspicious, violent, unexplained and unexpected deaths. The medicolegal death investigator is responsible for the dead person, whereas the local law enforcement jurisdiction is responsible for the scene. The medicolegal death investigator performs scene investigations emphasizing information developed from the decedent and determines the extent to which further investigation is necessary. Medicolegal death investigators should have a combination of education and skills encompassing areas of medicine and law.
What is a forensic nurse?
Forensic nurses are healthcare professionals who apply nursing principles and scientific techniques using evidenced based practice to bridge medical components and legal aspects to provide competent and appropriate care to victims and suspects of crime, abuse, and trauma. Forensic nurses are trauma-informed medical professionals who treat all patients holistically with compassion and empathy to provide medical care, document injuries, collect evidence, provide resources, and provide emotional support.