Education/training
Real life CSIThis fall 30 students at Seneca College will learn -- if they don't know already -- that forensic investigation has nothing to do with glamour. It's really about sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and gangland shootings, to name just some of the traumas they will face day to day once they've graduated from Seneca's new graduate certificate program in Forensic Health Sciences. DAVID CHILTON |
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 [ 2006-08-02 ] |
A sexual assault examiner peers through a colposcope, which provides magnification so injuries can be easily identified and digitally photographed.
Susan Kagan, an RN who teaches nursing at Seneca and is the facilitator of the program, makes clear forensic investigation isn't a job for the squeamish or those who think they look good in a certain light. It's "dirty work," says Kagan, who's been a sexual assault examiner since 1998.
The Seneca course, which is being taught part time and runs from October to June, is patterned very much on the successful program launched in 2005 at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), although there have been some adjustments made for the Ontario college.
"We have another program called Applied Forensic Investigative Sciences, and that's with the law enforcement (course)," Kagan says. "They had brought that program in from BCIT a couple of years ago and it's a huge success. So that's what prompted this (new Seneca program)."
Kagan says to get into the program applicants need to be registered nurses or registered practical nurses, have a college diploma or university degree in a relevant discipline or training as paramedics. Police officers can also take the program but need a special letter of permission. Applicants must also have Grade 12 English and pass a police background check.
NURSING APPLICANTS
"I expect the largest draw (of applicants) will be from nurses," says Kagan, who's already received lots of e-mails and phone calls from potential applicants.
To graduate students need to complete six courses. The first two courses of the program will cost $600 each. First up this October will be Introduction to Forensic Health Science, Kagan says. The course will run for 45 hours spread over five consecutive days. The second course will be Introduction to Criminal Law: Evidence and Procedures and is taught by a retired OPP officer. That will run for five consecutive Saturdays. The other four courses will run from January to the end of June, and all subjects are taught in class and have been arranged to accommodate students' work schedules, Kagan says.
Seneca's new program is the only one of its kind in Ontario, although other colleges teach forensics as part of other programs. George Brown, for example, will soon start teaching forensic nursing, and Centennial teaches forensic psychiatric nursing. Calgary's Mount Royal College offers forensic studies online.
It was in Calgary that forensic nursing began in Canada, says Sheila Early, an instructor and program co-ordinator at BCIT's Centre for Forensic and Security Technology Studies in Burnaby.
At BCIT, her program draws heavily on nurses, Early says, although among her 25 part-time students there are four police officers. Students range in age from the early 20s to the mid-50s, Early says.
BCIT began its two-year program because of demand, Early continues, saying, "We only expect (it) to get bigger and bigger."
Sexual assault is the most common crime forensic nurses have to deal with, Early says. And, like Kagan, with whom she's worked closely, Early emphasizes the reality of forensic investigation. Anyone looking for TV-style thrills should look elsewhere.
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