Join us for this dynamic 90-minute webinar, Forensic Nursing Legacy: A Historical Lens on Civilian and Military Practice — Challenges Overcome, Lessons Forgotten, and Modern-Day Threats to Practice.

Led by Dr. Linda Ledray, a seasoned forensic nurse leader with deep experience in both military and civilian healthcare systems, this session will explore the rich and often overlooked history of forensic nursing. Together, we’ll examine the pivotal roles forensic nurses have played in both military and civilian contexts, the critical challenges they’ve historically overcome, and how some of those hard-won lessons are at risk of being forgotten.

Importantly, the speaker will highlight emerging and persistent threats to forensic nursing practice today — from policy limitations to resource constraints — and discuss strategic paths forward to sustain and strengthen the specialty.

Attendees will leave with a broadened perspective on the legacy of forensic nursing, practical insights for leadership in the field, and inspiration to advocate for the future of forensic healthcare.

A live Q&A will follow the presentation for participants to engage directly with the speaker.

OBJECTIVES

• Describe the historical impact of forensic nursing in both military and civilian healthcare systems, highlighting pivotal roles and key challenges overcome
• Identify major lessons from forensic nursing’s history that are at risk of being forgotten, and discuss their relevance to current practice
• Analyze modern threats to forensic nursing practice and propose strategic solutions to sustain and strengthen the specialty moving forward 

PRESENTER 

Linda Ledray, PhD, RN, SANE-A, FAAN Dr. Linda Ledray is the founder and was the Director of the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Sexual Assault Resource Service (SARS), one of the first SANE programs, which she developed in 1977. SARS provided services to nine hospitals in the Minneapolis area. A retired Army Colonel, she has personally assisted in the development of both civilian and military SANE SART programs across the U.S. and in numerous other countries including Japan, Samoa, Saipan, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and Kuwait.  Ledray convened the first meeting of SANEs in Minneapolis in 1992, which resulted in the founding of the IAFN. She was on the first IAFN certification board and was an editorial board member for the Journal of Forensic Nursing through 2013. She was the PI on numerous federal and local grants furthering forensic nursing. She was the SANE section editor for the Journal of Emergency Nursing and the journal of Forensic Nursing. She has written many articles and books including Recovering from Rape (Ledray, 1994), Medical Response to Adult Sexual Assault (Ledray, Burgess & Gardiner, 2011), Medical Response to Adult Sexual Assault (Ledray & Burgess, 2019), and The Single Woman’s Vacation Guide (Ledray, 1988).  She was the 2012 winner of the National Crime Victim Service Award and was involved in numerous humanitarian relief missions in Honduras, Thailand, and Croatia.  Ledray received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Masters in Community Mental Health Nursing from the University of Washington, and a Masters in Psychology and PhD in Clinical Psychology and Personality Research from the University of Minnesota.   She successfully retired in 2022 after two failed attempts and now resides at Misty Hills Ranch South in Aiken, South Carolina and Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Enduring Modules - This module originated on 10/23/2025 and will remain available for CE credit through 12/31/2027

Criteria for Successful Completion:

Live attendees must join the zoom link via the LMS site, be logged in for a minimum of 90% of the session, and successfully complete the attestation and evaluation. Upon completion, a CE certificate for 1.75 contact hours will be awarded. 

Recordings of the live session will be made available within one week of the live date. 

Asynchronous attendees must utilize the LMS to obtain resource information (if available), view 100% of recording(s), complete all modules, and successfully complete the attestation and evaluation. Upon completion, a CE certificate for 1.75 contact hours will be awarded.

No relevant financial relationships exist for any individuals in a position to control content of this educational activity.

NOTE:

The Academy of Forensic Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.