History of IAFN
During the summer of 1992, at a meeting hosted by the Sexual Assault Resource Service and the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in Minneapolis, 72 nurses, primarily sexual assault nurse examiners, came together to form the International Association of Forensic Nurses. The IAFN was officially incorporated in the state of Georgia on November 22, 1993.
The vision of this founding group was to develop an organization that would encompass a wide and diverse body of those who practice nursing within the arena of the law. Nurses who apply concepts and strategies, providing intervention to victims of violent crime and perpetrators of criminal acts, fall within this new field of practice. This includes nurses as diverse as death investigators, correctional nurse specialists, forensic psychiatric nurses, legal nurse consultants, forensic geriatric specialists, nurse attorneys, forensic clinical nurse specialists, forensic gynecology nurses, and other nursing roles defined as forensic practice as they evolve. One year later, the organization had more than tripled in members and held its first Scientific Assembly in Sacramento, California, with some 160 in attendance. Over the past 15 years, the IAFN has steadily grown to over 3000 members, in 24 countries. In 1995, the International Association of Forensic Nurses was officially recognized by the American Nurses Association as a specialty of nursing.
Violence as a Health Care Issue
In 1985 the U.S. Surgeon General identified violence as a health care issue and health care providers as key agents in ameliorating the effects of violence in our communities. These health consequences of violence have become one of the most important problems in health and safety, requiring a multi disciplinary approach. Today, forensic nurses are recognized as a previously untapped resource in anti-violence strategies and as a critical link in the administration of justice.
Standards and Education
Because this is still a pioneering effort, roles and definitions, as well as educational programs are continuously being identified and created by the IAFN and its members. The organziation has created standards that provide a framework that is flexible and does not unnecessarily restrict nursing practice, including the Forensic Nurse Scope and Standards, as well as Education Guidelines for the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (adult and pediatric).
IAFN recognizes that the advancement of forensic nursing practice must be promoted and incorporated into basic and graduate nursing programs in colleges and universities around the globe. IAFN is presently developing educational standards and curriculum for the creation of an advanced practice forensic nurse and for undergraduate nursing programs. In 2002, IAFN began offering the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Adult/Adolescent certification (SANE-A) and in 2006, began offering the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Pediatric/Adolscent (SANE-P) certification. In both certifications, candidates sit for a written exam. The American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) and IAFN have partnered to offer the Advanced Practice Forensic Nurse Portfolio credential which will be available in 2009.
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