Kaplan College Launches Two New Health Care Professional Certificate Programs for Registered Nurses
New Programs Provide Career Options and Include Industry's First and Only Online Forensic Nursing Certificate
New York, NY, January 22, 2003 - In response to a growing interest among nurses to explore alternative career options, Kaplan College announced it has launched two new online programs for registered nurses (RNs): a Forensic Nursing Certificate and a Legal Nurse Consulting Certificate. Offered online through Kaplan College and available only to registered nurses, the 12-month programs are designed to provide nurses with the knowledge of how to apply their nursing education and clinical experience to alternative career paths. Both programs are not for credit and are part of Health Care Pathways, a series of programs within Kaplan College's School of Continuing Education developed for professionals in the health care industry.
The Forensic Nursing Certificate curriculum, the first online program of its kind, provides RNs with skills in the legal, scientific and psychosocial aspects of forensic nursing. Through these courses, students will explore the scientific investigation and treatment of victims and perpetrators of abuse, violence, criminal activity, sexual assault, and traumatic events. Graduates can pursue a wide array of exciting career opportunities, including positions in medical examiners' offices, law enforcement agencies, social service agencies, and specialized hospital units.
The attorney-instructed Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate curriculum trains RNs in legal principles and practices, exploring areas of civil litigation, torts and medical liability, medical records summary and review and health care risk management. Legal Nurse Consultants provide clinical expertise to attorneys and insurers, paving the way for opportunities at law firms specializing in personal injury or medical malpractice, with health care facilities in risk management, or in independent practice.
Reports show a recent trend of nurses seeking to explore less stressful career paths within the nursing field; notably, many are leaving the operating room for the courtroom. From 1990 to 2000, membership in the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants nearly quadrupled, from less than 1,000 to nearly 4,000.
"These new programs offer challenging and dynamic learning opportunities for registered nurses who are interested in applying their clinical nursing experience and health care knowledge to new and diverse career fields," said Barbara Sonderling, Executive Director of Kaplan College's Health Care Pathways.
The Forensic Nursing Certificate curriculum was developed by renowned forensic pathology veteran Julie Brown, M.D., M.B.A., and R.N. Dr. Brown was a neonatal ICU nurse for seven years prior to completion of medical school. Initially a pediatrician, she developed an interest in forensic pathology and eventually became a medical examiner. She is a member of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) and responds to mass fatalities on the federal level and to federal medical disasters, including events such as the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the flooding caused by Hurricane Floyd, and the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990. Dr. Brown is also a member of DMORT WMD, a specialty disaster team responsible for decontaminating bodies of fatalities from Weapons of Mass Destruction incidents.
About Kaplan College:
Kaplan College, located in Davenport, Iowa, offers degree programs residentially and through online instruction. Kaplan College is a subsidiary of Kaplan Higher Education Corporation, which is a subsidiary of Kaplan, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Washington Post Company, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA).
Press Contacts:
Carina Wong
212-492-5992
carina_wong@kaplan.com
Tammy Fang
212-492-5965
tammy_fang@kaplan.com
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