Other than courses offered in school, there are also online programs where you can enroll in. The best part about an online program is that you don’t have to be there at the class. You can watch recordered lectures (if it is provided) at your own time.
You will also be able to discuss with your instructor and classmates using email, instant messaging and in chat rooms.
Once you enroll in an online program, and depending to which school you enroll, you will be provided with a special software so you can simulate your classroom and work on quizzes and projects.
The online program introduces students to the forensic aspects of health care and public service. Some of the other things which will be explored include acts of violence, human abuse, collecting and preserving evidence, documentation and follow up procedures as performed by a health care provider, mass casualty incidents, sexual assault and trauma.
If you want to go deeper and specialize in a certain field, some of the modules you can take may be clinical forensic nursing, correctional nursing, death investigation, forensic photography and forensic psychiatry.
One thing these models have in common is that it will explore victimology and how it relates to the violence trends in society.
Most of those that will be doing the lectures are nationally recognized experts in their own field. With the number of people helping out, you will be able to build network and gain access to community resources for additional learning opportunities.
Whether it is online or not, you should be able to;
- Distinguish and properly collect forensic evidence within the health care setting to ensure that it will withstand legal examination.
- Communicate with the various members of the multi-disciplinary forensic team including victim advocates, law enforcement, and the judicial process in general.
- Determine treatment for triage and emergency intervention for patients who exhibit potential forensic implications.
- Identify basic policies and procedures required for conducting sexual assault examinations for child and adult women and men.
- Analyze the social and political implications of escalating violence as it relates to law enforcement, criminal justice and domestic living.
You can easily move to a forensic nursing program if you are already a registered nurse or a licensed medical professional.
The only thing to do now is decide what kind of forensic nursing program you want to enroll in so do some research. For a list of colleges that offers online forensic nursing program you can refer to The International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) website
