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Forensic nursing—an area at the intersection of medicine and law—is a specialty only recently recognized by the American Nurses Association (ANA). In fact, the ANA and the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) co-published the first standards and scope of practice guidelines for forensic nurses in 2009, outlining the necessary education, skills, and typical job responsibilities in this dynamic subfield which helps to accumulate evidence, counsel victims, and ultimately deliver justice to violent criminals.
So what do these medical professionals do? The IAFN and ANA report that forensic nurses have a variety of roles, including caring for victims of traumatic violence both physiologically and psychologically; collecting evidence (e.g., photographs, blood, tissue samples); identifying types of injuries (e.g., trauma, neglect, accident, abuse, exploitation); creating educational programs; shaping public policy and research; liaising with law enforcement and medical personnel; providing consultation to victims and families; and acting as expert witnesses in courtrooms. These crucial functions require advanced instruction in the differentiation of disease and injury; pharmacology; pathophysiology; public health; criminology; mental health; traumatology; victimology; and ethics.
Since forensic nurses may work with sexual assault or domestic violence victims, it can be a difficult (albeit rewarding) profession, requiring a mix of compassion and emotional fortitude in facing the uglier aspects of human behavior. Furthermore, they may choose to get more advanced training in areas including death investigations, risk management, bioterrorism, employee litigation, international civil rights, human trafficking, and other domains, working in a variety of settings such as hospitals, community centers, public health organizations, police departments, and shelters.
Due to the sometimes complex nature of the job, a wealth of professional associations have risen to provide support. For example, the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN 2025) boasts a 6,000+ member group offering online learning opportunities, local chapters, networking, and conferences. Additionally, the Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International (NNVAWI) provides outreach and guidance to those who work to combat violence, exploitation, and other abuses.
Read on to discover how to join the burgeoning field of forensic nursing, including information about accredited educational programs (online and on-campus) and professional certification.
Steps to Becoming a Forensic Nurse
There are varied paths to becoming a forensic nurse. Some choose to receive their associate degree in nursing (ADN); obtain their registered nursing (RN) license; garner experience and specialized education in the field of forensics; and achieve an entry-level professional certification (e.g., SANE). Others, however, choose to push their degree and credentials to a more advanced level to enhance their candidacy for employment and salary prospects. Below is one possible path to becoming a forensic nurse.
Step 1: Graduate from high school
Forensic nurses of all levels must graduate from high school or complete their GED. In addition, prospective forensic nurses are advised to excel in courses such as chemistry, biology, physics, anatomy, and mathematics to enhance their college applications. At this stage, some students may even take an internship or volunteer through local programs at hospitals, police departments, or civic organizations.
Step 2: Attend an accredited bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program (four years)
Although some aspiring forensic nurses choose to pursue an associate’s degree before earning their registered nursing (RN) license, it may be advisable to enroll in a four-year BSN program that has many advantages.
First, BSN programs may provide a wider variety of classes, including specialized instruction in forensic photography in a healthcare setting; courtroom testimony by a healthcare specialist; and forensic approaches to domestic violence. Second, professional certifications such as the advanced forensic nurse board-certified (AFN-BC) credential require a master’s degree. Finally, getting a BSN fulfills many of the prerequisites of graduate education in nursing.
Above all, when seeking any college degree or certificate, prospective students are urged to verify the program’s accreditation status. There are various types of accreditations for forensic nursing schools. Two typical programmatic accrediting agencies are the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. (ACEN).
Schools must also have institutional accreditation through a regional body such as:
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
In addition to supervised clinical instruction, accredited BSN programs offer didactic courses such as health promotion across the lifespan; health assessment; principles of pharmacology, community & public health nursing; and more.
One standout option is the Ball State University BSN program in Muncie, Indiana. This CCNE-accredited program provides various academic entry points to accommodate applicants of differing levels of education and experience (e.g., entry-level, RN-prepared, non-nursing bachelor’s degree). Boasting a 94-100 percent pass rate among its graduates on the NCLEX-RN exam, Ball State provides specialized instruction in acute & chronic illnesses, rehabilitation methods, the foundation of leadership, and extensive exposure to an array of clinical settings.
- Location: Muncie, IN
- Duration: Four years
- Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
For candidates with bachelor’s degrees in another field, there are various “accelerated” BSN options, such as the four-semester program at Duke University, comprising 58 credits of courses and almost 800 hours of clinical experience. Top-ranked among the U.S. News & World Report’s list of best BSN programs in 2025, this CCNE-accredited program prepares graduates for licensure as registered nurses. With a unique focus on the evolving needs and technologies of modern healthcare, students are trained at multiple clinical sites with opportunities for international study.
- Location: Durham, NC
- Duration: 16 months
- Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
There are CCNE- and ACEN-accredited programs across the country, both online and on-campus. For more information on certificates and degrees in this field, please visit the forensic nursing schools page.
Step 3: Pass the NCLEX-RN exam (timeline varies)
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) provides the NCLEX-RN exam, the leading certification for registered nurses (RNs). Since requirements to take the exam vary slightly by state, NCSBN encourages candidates to check with their local state board of nursing. This is a competitive exam comprising computer adaptive testing (CAT) in four “client need categories” including safe & effective care management; health promotion and maintenance; psychosocial integrity; and physiological integrity. In 2024, 73.26 percent of all NCLEX-RN exam takers passed (NCSBN 2025).
Step 4: Garner nursing experience in the field and additional education in forensic nursing (timeline varies)
While some aspiring forensic nurses may be eager to jump into graduate education, many people choose to garner RN experience and advance their specialized training through certificate programs or other opportunities. There are various programs available to RNs to advance their preparation in the forensic subfield.
For instance, the University of California—Riverside (UCR) offers an extension program in forensic nursing with instruction in forensic approaches to blunt force & firearm injuries; domestic violence; courtroom testimony; crime scene preservation; and clinical ethics. This program is open to RNs and other licensed medical professionals. Courses include an introduction to forensic science in healthcare settings, sworn testimony for the healthcare specialist, forensic nurse death investigation, and other topics relevant to the forensic nursing field.
- Location: Riverside, CA
- Duration: Nine to 15 months
- Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
Check out the forensic nursing schools page for more information on distance-based and brick-and-mortar forensic nursing certificates.
Step 5: Get entry-level professional certification (timeline varies)
At this stage, some candidates choose to pursue certification, enhancing a person’s employment prospects. For example, the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) provides two sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) certifications: SANE-P (pediatric) and SANE-A (adults and adolescents).
To become SANE certified, candidates must be RNs with at least two years of experience and 40 hours of classroom instruction. They must also pass a comprehensive exam which is offered twice annually (April and September). These certifications are valid for three years and can be renewed following the completion of 45 hours of continuing education.
Step 6: (Optional): Pursue a master’s degree in forensic nursing
To reach the upper echelons of this field, prospective forensic nurses are encouraged to pursue graduate education in the field.
One outstanding program is Texas A&M University (TAMU) master’s of science (MSN) in forensic nursing, which provides hands-on experience with clinically trained forensic nurses in developing public policy, influencing legislation, and collaborating with medico-legal professionals.
This 36-semester-hour program prepares graduates to observe, recognize, collect, and document forensic evidence for legal prosecution. A feature of this program is 45 hours of clinical hours in two on-campus visits. Courses include victimology, the impact of violence across the lifespan, and leadership and health policy.
- Location: Bryan, TX
- Duration: Two years
- Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
Students are advised to visit the forensic nursing education page for additional online and on-campus graduate programs in forensic nursing.
Step 7: (Optional): Receive advanced professional certification
Finally, the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) has partnered with the American Nurses Credentialing Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide the advanced forensic nursing board certification (AFN-BC).
Candidates must have an active RN license; two years of experience; a graduate degree in nursing; a minimum of 2,000 hours of practice in forensic nursing within the previous three years; at least 30 continuing education hours in the field; and fulfill two additional requirements (e.g., academic credits, presentations, publications). Those who qualify for this five-year credential may choose to take a certification exam or pass a portfolio review conducted by experts in the field.
The Role of the Human Expert in ML/AI Cybersecurity
“Our adversaries are highly intelligent, and they work very hard as well,” Dr. Poovendran says. “Given that these detection methods are there, what are the gaps that will allow them to bypass the threats? This is where the scientific thinking of the student, or of the forensics professional, or the cybersecurity professional, comes in. They have to be able to reason beyond what is in front of them.”
Machine learning algorithms in cybersecurity can generally be put into three categories: unsupervised, semi-supervised, and supervised:
- In unsupervised machine learning, the algorithm itself is tasked with finding patterns within a new data set.
- In semi-supervised machine learning, a human assists the algorithm by labeling some portion of the incoming data set.
- And in supervised machine learning, a human labels all incoming data while tasking the algorithm with identifying underlying patterns.
“ML and AI are powerful tools, but they are just tools,” Dr. Poovendran says. “It’s still significantly vulnerable to bias, and it’s easy for an adversary to fool an AI. That’s why the human expert has an important role to play in enhancing the quality of the decision-making.”
Effective ML and AI systems in cybersecurity will work to offset human weakness; similarly, human operators will work to offset the weaknesses of ML and AI algorithms. Dr. Poovendran offers examples to illustrate: a set of human eyes might not be able to easily or quickly ascertain all the differences between, say, a set of identical twins, while an iris scan would be able to find innumerable subtle differences instantaneously; at the same time, object recognition, such as in a CAPTCHA, is rudimentary for a human but still confounding to ML algorithms.
“I will say to the future forensics professionals: don’t be afraid of AI and ML in cybersecurity,” Dr. Poovendran says. “Use them as a tool, but be aware that you cannot trust them blindly. You have to develop methods to interpret and explain what you see.”
The Challenges and Opportunities for ML and AI in Cybersecurity
ML and AI make cybersecurity professionals more effective than ever before, with the algorithms acting as another member of the team. These algorithms can either partially or fully automate several cybersecurity processes, including vulnerability detection and attack disruption. As a result, cybersecurity professionals can more accurately detect and respond to potential attacks.
However, those ML systems may incidentally create new attack vectors of their own. In this respect, one of the most transformative effects of ML and AI in cybersecurity is altering the threat landscape, both on offense and defense.
“It’s important to understand the types of threats that are emerging in very advanced AI systems,” Dr. Poovendran says. “Google may have a very nice AI model available, but anyone can take that model and retrain it so that it will work normally in almost all cases, except for a few triggers, which make it an AI trojan.”
Some experts believe ML and AI will continue to provide incremental advantages for cybersecurity professionals, but without making a transformational leap into a new paradigm.
That is still good: in its current state, ML and AI could provide more cybersecurity professionals and organizations with the bare minimum of what ML and AI have to offer today, and the industry would still see noticeable benefits. But ML and AI are based on iteration and learning, and those who will work with them in cybersecurity will need to be constantly learning, too.
“I tell my students, don’t think of an adversary as an enemy, think of an adversary as a person who challenges you to think,” Dr. Poovendran says. “They are throwing puzzles at you. Can you see the puzzle, understand the puzzle, and solve the puzzle? It’s not easy, but if students commit themselves to learning about networking, about algorithms, about quantifying risk, they can collectively make significant contributions to this field.”
Further Resources on Machine Learning and AI in Cybersecurity
Machine learning, AI, and cybersecurity are each their own rapidly evolving fields, sitting at the forefront of what is possible. To learn more about where the three intersect, and where they’re collectively going, check out some of the resources below.
- Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET): Machine Learning and Cybersecurity: Hype and Reality (2021)
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE): A Survey of Data Mining and Machine Learning Methods for Cybersecurity Intrusion Detection (2016)
- University of Washington: Network Security Lab (NSL)
Jocelyn Blore
Chief Content StrategistJocelyn Blore is the chief content officer of Sechel Ventures and the co-author of the Women Breaking Barriers series. She graduated summa cum laude from UC Berkeley and traveled the world for five years. She also worked as an addiction specialist for two years in San Francisco. She’s interested in how culture shapes individuals and systems within societies—one of the many themes she writes about in her blog, Blore’s Razor (Instagram: @bloresrazor). She has served as managing editor for several healthcare websites since 2015.