Forensic Nurse

This remarkable nurse-led team exemplifies collaboration, compassion, and excellence in caring for some of our most vulnerable patients and families. They strive to provide care that encompasses the Nemours mission of “whole child health” by not only providing medical care but also ensuring the safety of the child and the environment in which they reside.

This remarkable team of nurses works in close partnership with Emergency Department physicians, clinical nurses, social work, child life specialists, security, law enforcement, child protective services, and community advocacy agencies to provide comprehensive, trauma-informed, whole child health care to children and adolescents who have experienced violence, abuse, neglect, human trafficking, or other forms of interpersonal trauma.

Their ability to bring together multiple disciplines around a shared goal ensures that every patient receives coordinated, compassionate, and evidence-based care during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

One of the team's greatest strengths is its commitment to collaboration. When a patient presents with concerns for abuse or assault, the Forensic Nurses serve as a bridge between clinical care, forensic evidence collection, patient advocacy, and community resources.

They work seamlessly with emergency medicine providers to ensure that medical needs are addressed while also partnering with social work and child protective services to support patient safety and long-term well-being. Continued collaboration exists between the forensic nurses and the Nemours CARE team to ensure patients have a warm handoff and continuity of care after their Emergency Department visit. Through these collaborative efforts, families receive comprehensive care without having to navigate complex systems alone.

The team's dedication to teamwork extends beyond direct Emergency Department patient care. The Nemours forensic nurses routinely educate and mentor Emergency Department staff, helping colleagues recognize concerning findings, respond appropriately to disclosures, and provide trauma-informed care. They are a trusted resource for clinical nurses and providers who seek guidance in difficult situations. By sharing their expertise, they strengthen the entire Emergency Department’s ability to care for vulnerable children.

Disclosures of abuse, assault, neglect, and violence may not always come to fruition in the Emergency Department. Nemours Forensic Nurses are often asked to evaluate patients on inpatient units, ICUs, ambulatory clinics, and sometimes even the operating rooms, which they willingly and gladly do.

The Forensic Nursing team has also demonstrated exceptional partnership with community organizations throughout Delaware and the surrounding region. They collaborate with victim advocacy programs, law enforcement agencies, child protection professionals, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure continuity of care and support for patients after they leave the hospital setting. Several of the team routinely partner with community partners to provide education to other community partners.

These relationships help create a coordinated response that prioritizes safety, healing, and justice while reducing the burden on patients and families. Most recently, two of the forensic nurses partnered with a local law enforcement agency to provide education in a school setting to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders on what healthy relationships are and who is a trusted adult.

What makes this team truly extraordinary is their unwavering commitment to compassionate care. Knowing how specialized the care they provide is, they are always willing to flex their schedule to meet the needs of the patient. They approach every patient and family with empathy, respect, and dignity. During highly emotional and traumatic encounters, they create a safe environment where patients feel heard, supported, and empowered. Their presence often transforms an overwhelming experience into one where families feel cared for and guided every step of the way.

The team recently piloted a nurse-driven program, utilizing telehealth that is unique to the nation, that would provide specialized pediatric forensic care to patients in Kent and Sussex County, Delaware. Due to its overwhelming success and favorability with our Kent and Sussex community partners and patients, the team is currently working with Nemours leaders to establish a permanent process.

The Nemours Delaware Valley Emergency Department Forensic Nursing Team embodies the values of collaboration, advocacy, clinical excellence, and compassion. Their collective efforts have made a profound difference in the lives of countless children, families, associates, and community partners. They are highly deserving of recognition through the DAISY Team Award.