Forensic Nursing: A Career for the Curious |
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March 6, 2007
by Edward Castro
Healthcare Programs Columnist
In 1985, the Surgeon General's Workshop on Violence and Public Health prompted the health care community to find a way to stem the tide of violence in America. Among the many results of this newfound commitment to preventing domestic violence was the development of a new type of nursing specialty: forensic nursing.
Today that nursing specialty has spawned other specialty roles, such as nurse death investigators and nurse coroners. How do you become one?
A Nursing Program in Forensics
To become a nurse coroner or nurse death investigator, education is key. Training in forensic nursing can be found through four different avenues:
- Continuing education courses can supplement nursing degree programs. They are used for professional education and to fulfill renewal criteria for state licensure.
- Certification programs have specific content, entrance requirements, and often a written examination. Clinical internships may be required.
- A minor or concentration in forensics is available in some university undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.
- Graduate-level study builds on the foundation of bachelor's degrees in other related subjects.
Nursing and Continuing Education
Nurses never really stop learning, even if they never set foot in another classroom. Of course, if you expect to move up in the field of nursing, continuing education is your path to a brighter future. Courses in forensic nursing can help working Registered Nurses and Licensed Vocational Nurses explore fascinating new specialties.
About the Author
Edward Castro has extensive experience as a creative media writer. His client portfolio has included such notables as Hewlett-Packard, Sony Computer Entertainment, Shockwave, AtomFilms, GameBlast and Mervyn's California.
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