What's In Store For A Forensic Science Technician
The job of a forensic science technician is equal parts science and solving puzzles. You can choose to work in the field – the position usually referred to as crime scene investigator – or laboratory, as crime analyst. It can be a stepping stone for a forensic scientist career, but many find fulfillment even in their capacity as technical assistants.
Also known as a criminalist or forensic science examiner, your participation as member of the forensics team is crucial not only in collecting and analyzing evidence, but in reconstructing the story to help law enforcers or lawyers bring perpetrators to justice and solve crimes.
How to get the job
1. You need at least an undergraduate degree in forensic science, if such a course is offered in your area, or any of the natural sciences like biology, chemistry, biochemistry or even criminal justice. An associate degree is also acceptable, but schools are revising their offerings to at least four-year courses for a more intensive training.
2. You can avail of certificate programs to abbreviate your forensic science technician training, or pursue your education online via schools such as Kaplan University, American InterContinental University or South University. There are two-year formal training programs that combine scientific principles and theory with practical application in an actual laboratory school setting using updated equipment.
3. Forensic science is not only science intensive, it also requires math, specifically calculus and statistics. Any advance courses in high school like biology, physics and chemistry will be to your advantage.
4. Make sure you enroll in programs accredited by the American Academy of Forensic Science. Lately, this are four or even five-year programs in order to produce well-rounded forensic science examiners.
5. Certification is not required but highly valued and increase chances of getting the job. The American Board of Criminalistics offer these certifications. Other agencies that grant certification include the American Board of Forensic Entomology, the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, the American Board of Forensic Toxicology and the National Registry in Clinical Chemistry.
Other necessary skills
Although scientific in approach, a big asset of a forensic science technician is the ability to communicate well. Competition for these jobs is extremely fierce so you must possess an edge to bag the job over other applicants. You need to express yourself well and clearly in presenting findings.
Forensic scientists must also have a good working knowledge of the law and the judicial system. In fact, aside from the core science subjects and specialized fields of study like molecular biology or DNA chemistry, most forensic science curriculum include courses in these two areas.
Specialized fields
Even forensic technicians specialize. This is especially true in bigger organizations where each function is assigned to a specialist. So a crime scene investigator is different from a fingerprint identification technician or an evidence room technician or a photographic technician. So if you've decided what you want to focus on, learn as much as you can about the job and the responsibilities.
The outlook in the area of forensics is so positive that more and more people are attracted to a career as forensic scientist or even technician. With a forensic pathology degree, you can land a position as medical examiner technician; with any degree in any of the engineering disciplines, you can end up as forensic engineer.
A medical examiner technician mostly works with dead bodies doing autopsies, assisting other medical examiners or the chief medical examiner. A forensic engineer is mostly called upon during accidents and arson investigations and does not handle bodies but rather involves himself in determining the cause of these kinds of crimes.
As for salary, entry level is in the range of $29,000 to $49,000 and with enough experience you gain, you are also rewarded handsomely. So take these into consideration while exploring your options of becoming a forensic science technician.
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