Forensic Psychiatric Nursing

Describe the nurse’s role in the forensic milieu.

Describe characteristics of psychiatric and mental health concerns specific to forensic populations, addressing implications for nursing care.

1. Two student nurses are assigned to the forensic unit for their psychiatric learning experiences. They are both slightly apprehensive but want to learn from the nursing staff the role of the nurse in forensic psychiatric nursing.

(Learning Objectives: 1, 2)

a. What will the nurse manager tell the students about the role of the nurse in forensic psychiatric nursing?

b. In addition, what do the student nurses know about the difference between the traditional mental health setting and the forensic milieu?