An Interview with Kalen Knight, a Forensic Nurse Death Investigator

On today's episode, I interview Kalen M. Knight, MSN, MBA, RN, CEN, SANE-A about his role as a medicolegal death investigator. You are going to want to listen to this episode - it's super fascinating!

Kalen Knight is a Forensic Nursing Specialist with the International Association of Forensic Nurses. He has extensive experience in clinical practice and education development from his prior professional experiences, including emergency, trauma, infectious disease, biocontainment/quarantine, nursing education, and forensic nursing. In addition to his role with the IAFN, Kalen practices as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner for Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska as well as a Medicolegal Death Investigator for Pottawattamie County Medical Examiners Office in Iowa. He earned his BSN From Clarkson College in 2016 and his MSN and MBA from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2022. He is a Certified Emergency Nurse and Certified Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. He additionally is an adjunct lecturer for the Masters in Forensic Nursing Programs Quality, Legal, Matters of Death Course and Clinical at Oakland University in Michigan.

This is a very interesting episode! Kalen gives us the rundown of what a normal call is like, how he processes the scene, as well as the follow-up as to where the decedent goes and whether or not autopsies are needed. He shares what he loves about the job, and how his views on death have changed since doing this work.

If you are interested in forensic nursing, this episode is for you!

Also, go check out Kalen's new podcast - Forensic Nursing: Beyond the Evidence with the International Association of Forensic Nurses here!

Thank you so much for being on the show, Kalen!