Master of Science in Nursing
Certificate in Forensic Nursing

Offered at the Prince William Campus

Point of Contact

Michele Davidson, PhD, CNM, CFN, RN
Telephone: (703) 993-1924
mdavidso@gmu.edu
Fax: (703) 993-3612

This certificate program offers formal study in theory and practice in applied forensic science and nursing for nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing or individuals in another discipline with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.

Program Requirements

Students applying to the certificate program must be enrolled in graduate degree status or hold a bachelor’s degree. Application is made through the Admissions Office of the University. A requirement for the certificate is 15 credits of graduate course work in which a 3.00 GPA is earned.

Program of Study

The program for the certificate consists of 15 credits in forensic science.  Students who already hold certification as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) or non-nurses are exempt from NURS 734 and will be required to take GCH 602 in place of NURS 734.    

Practice Opportunities

The GMU forensic program focuses on the application of forensics from a social science perspective and prepares graduates to work with clients in a variety of practice settings. Graduates of the GMU forensic nursing program will provide services to victims of violence and abuse including, but not limited to, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, homicide, and drug or alcohol abuse. Forensic nurses work in a variety of public health and public safety settings, as well as in the private sector.  The scope of practice is broad and can include product tampering, environmental hazards, medicolegal death investigation, sexual assault examination, and epidemiological issues.  Clinical roles include emergency and trauma care, corrections, nurse investigator/evidence collection, psychiatric mental health, sexual assault nurse examiner, and nurse coroner positions. The legal nurse consultant is another role that specializes in forensic practice and providing expertise in legal matters. Forensic practitioners often care for living clients and train other nurses to appropriately assess and care for these victims.  As a member of an interdisciplinary team, the forensic nurse possesses expertise in normal anatomy and physiology, assessment skills, determination of causative factors of injuries, and use of therapeutic communication. The GMU forensics program is sound in terms of theory, clinical decision-making skills, and field experiences.  The program is comprised of an interdisciplinary faculty that possesses expertise in nursing, criminal justice, death investigation, and forensic science. Many of the faculty members are nationally recognized experts within the various fields of the forensic specialties.

• Required courses (15)
  • NURS 733 (3:3:0)
    Introduction to Forensic ScienceÂ
    This course focuses on the introductory concepts of forensic science and examines its impact on society. 
  • NURS 734 (3:3:0)
    Interpersonal Violence & Sexual Assault ExaminationÂ
    This course focuses on the incidence and consequences of interpersonal violence and examines the role of the sexual assault nurse examiner when caring for victims of violence. (Must be a nurse with a valid nursing license to take this course).
  • NURS 735 (3:3:0)
    Crime Lab and Crimes Scene Investigation
    This course focuses on the components of the crime lab and the role of the forensic scientist in crime scene investigation.
  • NURS 736 (3:3:0)
    Psychological and Legal Aspects of Forensics
    This course focuses on the psychological and legal aspects of forensic science.
  • NURS 737 (3:3:0)
    Investigation of Injury and Death
    Explores the role of the forensic scientist in death investigation. Examines death, manners of death, and causes of death along with the death certification process. The role of the medical office professional and autopsy procedures will be reviewed.  DNA evidence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) will be analyzed. 

Explanation of Credit Hours

Course titles are followed by numbers in parentheses (0:0:0), separated by colons. The numbers have the following significance:

• First Number: credits for the course
• Second Number: hours of lecture or seminar per week for the course
• Third Number: hours of laboratory for the course

For independent study, readings, topics, or similar courses, individual instructors set hours.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 12:46 pm and is filed under Education, Forensic Nurse Training, SANE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.