Re: About the Kaplan Forensics program...
Here's a summary of what I have learned about Kaplans Forensic Nursing program:
1) When you initially contact them regarding their program, be prepared to endure "pressure tactics" to get you to sign up right away. Elsewhere in this thread are some examples of this. In summary, you will be told something like "There are only 2 days left in this registration session. No telling when registration will open again." or "We only have 2 openings left. If you sign up right away I will personally go to the registration clerk to get you enrolled". No matter what approach to pressure they use, remember that this is a self paced INTERNET program and therefore has open registration at all times and there are no finite number of students. Also, be prepared in the initial contact to go through an "interview" process. They will tell you that they have to see if you will be able to complete their tough program, as many people cannot and they need to hand select only those they feel are truly qualified. They will follow the "interview" by telling you they think you are the best qualified person they have "interviewed" in a long time. They will extoll the virtues of your qualifications and make you think you are the single smartest person that has EVER phoned them. While you may be smart, remember that they say this to everyone I've talked to as a tactic to get you to sign on the dotted line. Additionally, the program is a far cry from "tough", being one of the easiest programs I've ever taken.
2) When you make the decision to sign on, look over the pricing and financing structure carefully. Keep in mind that the program is extraordinarily simple and most people would not need nearly the year they allow for course completion. If you select to finance your course, remember that you will NOT receive your certificate until your tuition is paid in full. Since I paid for my course up front, I didn't check to see if there is a pre-payment penalty to pay off your tuition prior to the agreed upon time frame. Also regarding financing, you do get a discount off the advertised price if you pay up front.
3) There are 5 classes making up the course and 9 units within each course. There is a quiz (10 questions) at the end of each unit which you can take as many times as you want to. Also, unit 5 is the midterm (50 questions) which you can take as many times as you want to. Most of the questions on the midterm are word for word repeats of the quiz questions. Each class ends with a "final" which can only be taken ONCE. Of course, they give you 12 hours to complete the 50 question exam. Many quiz repeat question on the final too. The midterm and final have 10 or so case study questions which are slightly more interesting.
4) Each unit of each class has multiple activities associated with it, like "web field trips" where they direct you through links to various places of interest relating to the topic of the unit being studied. Also, every unit of every class has it's own mesaage board which is SLOW and cumbersome to use. You need a high speed connection for sure to utilize the message board. Even then it is slow. There are also other things to do like "discussion questions" for you to ponder and journals you can keep. Most notably is the required reading assignment from the textbook by Virginia Lynch "Forensic Nursing". This is where the meat and potatoes of your learning comes from. The textbook is informative and interesting and loaded with case studies. I have read almost every page of that textbook! Each unit also comes with it's own online reading assignment which is simplistic and brief. Literally ALL of the quiz/midterm/final questions come from this reading. It would appear that the Lynch reading is just for your own information, even though this is where you will learn what you really need to know for actually working in a forensic related field.
5) Keep in mind that this course is an INTRODUCTION to forensic nursing and that the serious student will need to seek further education to really be prepared to fuction in a forensically related job.
6) You really need a high speed connection to take this class. Those with dial up wait FOREVER for their pages to load and forget the message board (which isn't very valuable anyways). Also, people seem to lose their connection frequently while trying to test with a dialup connection. No big deal...unless it is your final that you can only open ONCE. For those who have lost their connection during the final, it is a royal pain in the uhm...neck...to jump hoops with Kaplan to allow these students to re-open their final and resume the exam.
7) I suggest printing out everything as you go along. This gives you a nice little reference notebook for the future if you continue pursuing a job in a forensically related field. You paid for the course, so printed materials from this course is reasonable. EVERYTHING is available for printing.
8) When you finish a class, it is a bit of a pain in the neck and a bit of a delay to get enrolled in your next class. You cannot do this online, but must contact the CAPS servicing team during their normal business hours. Naturally, if you work night shift as I do, their normal business hours are your normal sleeping hours!
9) When you have finished the program, they will send you your certificate in 6 weeks. Not sure why the heck it takes 6 weeks to send a certificate. They must mail it by camel. Also, they will not mail your certificate until your tuition is paid in full. This is a good reason to pay up front or inquire about pre-payment penalties. There is no way that this simplistic course will take ANYONE a year to complete, unless you select not to open your books or pt any time into it. A serious student will go through this course at roughly the same speed I did. It is easy, easy easy. Also, you MUST phone them to tell them you have finished the course. They will not know otherwise. For whatever reason, this information is not automatically generated when you complete the program and have taken your final class exam. They seem to have a few hitches to their online program.
10) Was it worth the money???? That is probably going to be different for each person taking the class. It was worth it to me because I love the subject of forensics and have been able to apply it to my usual job in so many ways. I intend to continue my forensic education and sometime soon hope to sit for the CFN (ACFEI), SANE-A (IAFN), and CMI-III (ACFEI) exam. For me then, it was worth it. It
IS alot of cash, but I learned alot and needed the formal clock time to qualify for the exams.
I'll add more to this post as I remember things from the program. Have a great day!
Edited to add that the CFN and CMI exams are now available online. The review course for CMI is already available online and the CFN review course will be available online in January.
on completing the course, NativeSundance. And, good luck with your forensics nursing career.
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