About the Kaplan Forensics program...

The course is completely self paced, and the only requirement is that the 5 classes making up the course must be completed within 1 year.

I work three 12 hr shifts a week so am home more than at work. I work night shift and so am awake alot at night at home. This makes for excellent study time. Although I am extremely busy outside for much of the year and have little time for studies, this time of year and into very early spring is easy on me and I have plenty of time to study. My children are grown and have their own homes, so I have no child care issues. My husband is a trauma surgeon and is gone much of the time. All this adds up to plenty of available time for studying! Plus, the information is very interesting and I find myself making time to study over doing some other things.

Kaplan suggests striving to complete 1-2 units a week. There are 5 classes and each class has 9 units. Going at this pace, it would take you about 1 year or a little less to complete. We all have differing responsibilities and life requirements so our rate of course completion will vary tremendously. I am lucky to have the luxury of available time to use at my discretion and right now I'm using that time to study forensic nursing! It really is fascinating and very applicable to my usual job as a trauma nurse in our ER. I will NEVER leave the ER to pursue other forensic interests, but find I am able to put to immediate use many of the things I am learning...which always makes me hunger for more!

One other little note about the Kaplan forensic program...if you pay for the program using their payment plan, be aware that you will not receive your certificate of completion until the bill is fully paid. Something to keep in mind if you plan to finish the program in under the allotted 1 year and have intentions of using the certificate (in a timely manor) as a starting point for other forensic endeavors.

I'm sure most programs have this little safety net built into their payment plans as there are the occasional students who MIGHT otherwise consider "forgetting" to pay the bill once the classes are done and the certificate is in hand. I guess they have to cover their assets somehow!

Third cass "Death Investigation" done! Very very interesting and well worth the time it takes to learn it. So many applications to my present job. This class was more challenging than the others. Each class seems to be a little more challenging than the last. I just got enrolled in my 4th class, "The Courtroom Experience" and will begin later on. I took a 1 week break from classes because we got a new dog and it is a bit of work to get him all settled into his new home. Seems to have alot of *interest* in my himalayans. They have NO *interest* in him...to put it mildly!

My new class is "The Courtroom Experience" and I just completed the mid term for it. It is informative, but a little less interesting.

The material being covered has been progressively more challenging, but still easy. I guess I'm just used to being really challenged in my professional classes, so this program seems ridiculously easy. I still have enjoyed it and appreciate the things I have learned. The Lynch textbook is very informative and I have learned much from it.

One thing I have noticed with the Kaplan program...if you don't want to read the Lynch textbook or do any of the "web field trips" or "discussion questions" or whatever, you certainly don't have to to take (and pass) the incredibly easy quizzes, mid-term and final exam. They give you a little blurb to read and literally all of the quiz/exam questions come from this simple brief online reading. Of course, you won't learn much if you skip the Lynch reading as this is where the real information comes from. My thought is that we pay a heck of alot for this class considering what we get, so may as well get the maximum possible out of it!

I intend to get CFN certified when I am done with this class, so I approach my classes with this in mind. If I relied strictly on the silly little info blurb from Kaplan that I read online for a given subject and skip the Lynch reading...I could certainly pass the program, but I would be hard pressed to get certified. If the CFN exam is anything like the CEN exam was, it is in my (and my patients) best interest to really dig in and LEARN the subject. I will still be studying well after finishing this program. I needed the formal education hours to qualify to sit for the exam. I don't think the Kaplan program is geared to serious students. It is a good surface introduction to the subject, but serious students will need to continue on for a real education.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

I have finished the 4th class and now am enrolled in the last class. Psych is not my strongest point, so I'll have to spend more time with this one. In reviewing the class, I noticed the units are all pretty brief with little to no Lynch textbook reading. Not sure what to make out of that since most of the learning comes from the textbook.

When I am done with the course, I have just started considering SANE certification. Although sexual assault is not my main focus, it might be good to have as much experience in all aspects of forensic nursing as I can possibly get. It would be good to know exactly how to handle this situation in the ER when it comes up. We have a crisis center not far from us who handles nearly all of our sexual assault patients, including the examinations. I know they employ SANE nurses, although I will not go there to work. I love the ER and will never leave it. Having the SANE certification will be helpful for well rounded forensic training and I can get "clinical" time at the crisis center. I am also lucky enough to be able to ride along with our local detectives/investigators and stand in on the autopsy.

I have really learned alot through the Kaplan program that I have been able to put to immediate use in my usual job in our Trauma rooms. My documentation has improved dramatically and the way I look at and describe wounds and other evidence has improved.

I'm working on my CV now, although not sure I will ever really need it...unless I ever get called to court.

Have a great day!

The course is self paced with the only requirement being that it must be completed in one year. The entire course is brainlessly simplistic and could be passed with a straight "A" by any student taking it. I'm sure they have a 100% pass rate. Since it is so basic and simplistic, one can move through the material somewhat rapidly. The thing that takes the time is reading the Lynch textbook. The class itself (minus the reading)...all 9 units, could be completed in a single day if one chose to do that. The reading is where you really learn things, yet it doesn't seem necessary in order to complete the units. Most units have reading assignments in the textbook, but all of the quiz/midterm/final questions come from the online text (which is brief).

I'll be completely done with this course by next week. After that, I will focus on preparing for the CFN exam. Not sure if this class is a good prep for that exam or not. I don't know anyone who has ever taken that exam to ask. Since I haven't really researched it yet, I don't know exactly what the contents of that exam are. It must be posted on the ACFEI website, just haven't taken the time to look yet. I'll probably also look into SANE certification.

Your class will be starting soon, right? I hope you'll enjoy it! You'll probably get a MUCH better into to the subject and learn it more in depth. I would take the class again in a regular school if there was one available. Let me know how your class goes! Is it a single semester class? Will you have clinical time? I had to find my own clinical time. Thankfully, I work in the ER so get alot of practical application and experience in that way also. Also gave me an "in" with our local police department and coroner since we deal with them frequently.

Good luck!!

This last class has us researching resources within our own community and assessing needs within these resources or sometimes finding the lack of needed resources and trying to make a plan to fill this need. It is a much more interesting class than I was anticipating and although I am fairly familiar with our community resources, I have found areas where we need improvement.

I have just completed my midterm for this class. I'm sorta sad that the course is nearly completed. I've enjoyed learning the basics and am looking forward to continuing my forensic education.

Although the Kaplan program is very very easy scholastically, I have learned much and plan to use it in my ER and in my commuity in some capacity.

Have a great day!

Just finished the final exam for my last class! Wow, was it easy! I have called Kaplan to tell them I'm finished and to ask for my certificate. That will take about 6 weeks. Not sure why. When I get another spare moment, I'll write a review of the whole Kaplan forensic certificate course along with any useful tips I have learned.

Have a great day!