In a South Australian first, the work of nurses and other health professionals dealing with victims of crime will be helped by a new online forensic healthcare short course developed in partnership by Flinders University School of Nursing and Midwifery and The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHSN), Maryland, USA.

The JHSN is a global leader in nursing research, education, and scholarship.  Among US nursing schools, the Hopkins Nursing graduate programs are ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report.

The newly developed 40-hour online short course The Fundamentals of Forensic Health Care is designed for health care professionals.

There is a growing demand for health professionals to be aware of their legal responsibilities when treating victims and how treatment and collection of evidence can affect the ability of prosecutors to bring perpetrators to justice.

The course will provide an up-to-date grounding in principles and best practice in the growing field of forensic healthcare. Students will learn about standard forensic terminology across a variety of situations faced by healthcare workers.

It will also give them an overview of legal processes regarding the collection and prosecution of evidence.  They will study implications and processes when encountering situations which show evidence of abuse or neglect and discuss strategies on how these might be remedied.

Consisting of 10 modules, it will be presented in sequence over 14 weeks taking approximately 40 hours which counts towards Continuing Professional Development.

The course will be presented by forensic healthcare experts Associate Professor Linda Starr, and Associate Professors Dan Sheridan.

Linda Starr is an Australian lawyer and academic at Flinders University. Her research areas are criminal law, forensic nursing, prisons and health care workers, elder abuse, and professional regulation.

Dr Dan Sheridan is a US leader in forensic nursing and has more than 25 years clinical experience working with patients who have experienced physical, sexual and emotional abuse. At Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, he coordinates the forensic foci within the Master’s, DNP and PhD programs. He frequently provides expert forensic nursing testimony in criminal and civil legal proceedings.

Dean of the School of Nursing & Midwifery, Professor Paul Arbon, said the signing of the international agreement with Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing was a major achievement that would bring long term positive value to both universities.

“We are delighted with this initiative because it demonstrates the growing appeal of our post graduate work in healthcare and reflects the high calibre of the people we have in teaching and research within our University who are able to work at an international level with one of the world’s leading universities,” Professor Arbon said.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing School and its baccalaureate, Master’s, PhD, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are recognized for excellence in educating innovative national and international leaders who set the highest standards for patient care.

To register your interest in the course email sonm.profdev@flinders.edu.au.