What should I study

I'm currently in year 12 and am interested in criminology, medicine and psychology. I've considered being a forensic nurse and it seems great, but I don't know much about how to get there, or the different paths I can take to it.
Does anyone know anything or know who to ask, since it seems kinda niche?
Thanks

I'm currently in year 12 and am interested in criminology, medicine and psychology. I've considered being a forensic nurse and it seems great, but I don't know much about how to get there, or the different paths I can take to it.
Does anyone know anything or know who to ask, since it seems kinda niche?
Thanks

I'm currently in year 12 and am interested in criminology, medicine and psychology. I've considered being a forensic nurse and it seems great, but I don't know much about how to get there, or the different paths I can take to it.
Does anyone know anything or know who to ask, since it seems kinda niche?
Thanks

Hi @_jemma_b,

Sounds like an interesting path you're considering. Becky's advice to pursue nursing first and then start thinking about the criminology specialisation is sound as is the rest of her advice!

At Oxford Brookes we offer a number of Nursing and Criminology courses which might interest you. I've included a few course pages below:

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/adult-nursing/
https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/criminology-and-sociology/
https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/criminology/

To reiterate what Becky said above, you would need to start with nursing first if you're certain this is the path you want to take. The criminology and criminology joint honours courses we offer would prepare you for a job in the field of criminology but would not help you towards becoming a nurse.

Best wishes,
Daniel

Admissions Office
Oxford Brookes University

Hey @_jemma_b!

Forensic Nursing sounds really interesting as a subject area! Admittedly its not one I know too much about, but I found this really helpful walkthrough of how to get into the field and what the job includes here. It looks like a standard nursing degree is your way to go to begin with, because you'll need to be a registered nurse first in order to specialise into the forensic nursing field. That's quite normal for the healthcare field - they want you to be trained in the general nursing/healthcare provider skills first, and then develop into your areas of interest. I'd look for a course that mentions becoming a Registered Nurse (or RN) on successful completion, as this is the kind of degree you'll need to get into the field. For this, I'd look at universities that appeal to you the most - are you wanting to stay closer to home, or would you like to live away? Do you like the sound of the course they offer when you read their website? Can you go and visit to see what it might be like to be a student there?

After you qualify as a nurse, it looks like you have a few options - you can work and specialise whilst working into Forensic Nursing, or it seems Staffordshire University offer a postgraduate course (something you'd do after your first degree to qualify as a Nurse!) called Advanced Forensic Practice that you can go into once you have a few years experience as a nurse.

It might also be worth speaking with your college careers advisors to see if they can get you in contact with a forensic nurse, to have a chat with them as to what the job is like on a day-to-day basis, or seeing if you can contact any NHS trusts with a forensic departmant who might be able to put you in touch with one of their staff!

I hope that helps a little - let me know if you've got any queries, happy to try and help the best I can!
All the best,
Becky
University of Salford Rep

Thank you! I’ll be sure to bear this in mind