CALGARY, Canada and PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- Forensictrak.com, the online forensic science resource center, and the HealthCare Forensic Resource Center for Monster.com, initiate an international collaborative effort to strengthen forensic education for nurses in North America. An articulation agreement between the University of California Riverside Extension's Certificate in Forensic Nursing and Canada's Forensic Certificate from Mount Royal College was made, as both offer online, professional-level education programs to nurses wanting to specialize in forensic studies.

This arrangement will allow nurses studying in either of these programs to transfer a limited number of courses between each institution's program. This type of partnership builds on expertise and resources between programs and countries and provides a comprehensive knowledge base for the participants. It also strengthens evidence-based practice as international forensic practice is compared and contrasted. The units may be transferable to other universities and colleges in Canada and the United States, pending approval by the accepting institution.

A new course by Mount Royal College is aimed at preparing nurses for the International Association of Forensic Nurses' SANE-A examinations titled "Sexual Assault Examination and Intervention," which may be applied to the University of California's new forensic program as an elective. At the same time, courses from the UC Riverside program may be applicable to the Mt. Royal program.

The individual courses are structured to provide both core content and an introduction to several sub-specialties within the discipline including death investigation, SANE, correctional nursing, forensic psychiatry, forensic photography and clinical forensic nursing. The role of the forensic specialist within the healthcare environment is emphasized throughout.

The online format provides flexibility and convenience in an easy to use learning system. Minimum requirements are access to the Internet and an e-mail account (see the individual institution for complete information). Chat sessions and discussion forums add an interactive element to each of the courses. Networking with fellow nurses and the instructors from around the globe is yet another benefit from this type of learning experience.

For more information, visit:

http://www.forensictrak.com for the Forensic Science Resource Center

http://www.unex.ucr.edu/certificates/forensic-nurse.html for the University of California

http://www.mtroyal.ca/healthcomm/ashs/fore.htm for Mount Royal College