Advancing Forensic Nursing in South Africa: A matter of Stamina and Resilience

Advancing a non-existing specialisation in nursing care requires strong leadership, resilience and total commitment to patient care and to the nursing profession. These were the hard lessons that we learned over almost three decades in our endeavours for the advancement of forensic nursing as a formally recognised clinical nursing specialisation in South Africa. This article is a conference paper presented at the International Conference on Forensic Nursing Science, October 2016 in Denver – Colorado and it provides the professional and personal battles experienced by the forensic nurses in advancing forensic nursing practice in South Africa. The presentation conclude by highlighting the current status and achievements of forensic nurses’ resilience and perseverance in advancing forensic nursing which include the establishment of the Association for Forensic Nurses in South Africa, the development and recognition of clinical competencies for clinical forensic nursing by the South African Nursing Council, books authored by forensic nurses and continuous professional development activities conducted in different provinces of South Africa to benefit South African Forensic Nursing Association (SAFNA) members and improve forensic nursing practice and healthcare of the victims of crime and violence. These hard lessons were shared as encouragement to other forensic nurses from countries where forensic nursing is not yet recognised.