How to Become a Forensic Nurse
The world of health-care is continually changing and new careers and positions are always opening up. One of these areas is forensic nursing. These nurses provide care to crime victims, collect evidence, and offer health-care services within the prison system.
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Instructions
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Aquiring the Education for a Forensic Nursing Career
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Educate yourself about the various fields for forensic nurses in order to know which school to attend and what areas to study. For example, forensic nurses specialize in counseling, psychiatry, pediatrics, criminology and general forensic nursing. Talk to your school counselor, read library and on-line materials, and make appointments with nurses that have majored in this area. Different pre-requisites will be needed depending on which direction you head.
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Earn a registered nursing (RN) degree from an accredited college or university. In order to specialize in forensic nursing, you must first earn this RN degree, which normally requires a two- to four-year course of study resulting in an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing (ADN), a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN), or a Registered Nurse degree from an RN Diploma Program, or a "hospital diploma." Once a student graduates from an approved nursing program, he must pass the National Council Licensure Examination to obtain a nursing license and be licensed by the state of practice.
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Gain a specialty in a variety of forensic nursing fields, such as forensic clinical nurse expert, correctional nursing expert, forensic investigator, forensic gerontology specialist, legal advisor and consultant, forensic psychiatric nurse, death investigator and sexual assault examiner. Forensic nursing courses are available both in traditional schools and through on-line colleges. It is best to inquire about a number of different schools and compare them based on your career needs.
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Earn certification to demonstrate your knowledge and professional commitment to your career. For example, the Forensic Nursing Certification Board (FNCB) of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) offers the following certifications:SANE-A, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners / Adult/Adolescent and SANE-P, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners / Pediatric.
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