Forensic nursing just like traditional nursing has a lot of specialty areas. As a result, a forensic nurse may find work as a sexual assault nurse examiner, crime scene and death investigator, correctional nurse and psychiatric nurse.

Aside from 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 when the class is in regular session since you watch the lecture some other time similar to what Tivo does as it records a show at a certain time so you can view this on your own convenience.

You will also be able to communicate with your instructor and classmates using email, instant messenger and in chat rooms.

Once you enroll in an online program, the school will provide you with 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 changing trends of violence 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.

How much you know about the subject matter will be tested and graded. If you pass, the only thing you need to do now is pass the board exam so you can already find work.

Whichever medium you use, you should be able to;

1. Identify and properly collect forensic evidence within the health care setting to ensure that it will withstand legal scrutiny.
2. Communicate with the various members of the multi-disciplinary forensic team including victim advocates, law enforcement, and the judicial process in general.
3. Determine treatment for triage and emergency intervention for patients who exhibit potential forensic implications.
4. Identify basic policies and procedures required for conducting sexual assault examinations for child and adult women and men.
5. Analyze the social and political implications of escalating violence as it relates to law enforcement, criminal justice and domestic living.

A forensic nursing program will be easy to shift to if you are already a registered nurse or a licensed medical professional. But this should stop those who just graduated out of college because everyone has to start somewhere in order to become successful in their career.

The only thing to do now is decide what kind of forensic nursing program you want to enroll in so do some research. Better yet, try to get in touch with students who are currently in the program so you will know what it is like which will help prepare you for the challenges ahead.