One of the more unique careers in forensics is a bloodstain pattern analyst. This professional looks at bloodstains and uses them to determine what happened during violent events like stabbings and shootings. If you're interested in this type of work, here are some things that will help.

Make Sure You're Okay With Being Around Blood

The primary criteria for working as a bloodstain pattern forensic analyst is being comfortable with blood. You'll see a lot of it in this line of work and you thus need to be okay with this part of the job. You don't want to be squeamish or traumatized by the sight of blood because some scenes you'll investigate will be pretty brutal. If you're okay with this fact and feel like it's not going to affect you—at least not long-term, then you can pursue this position with more confidence. 

Develop Your Lab Reporting Skills

One of the most important skills you need to work as a bloodstain pattern forensic analyst is sound lab reporting. You'll take evidence from crime scenes involving bloodstains and bring them back to a controlled lab, where you'll conduct further investigations to put pieces of these crime puzzles together. You have to write out a lot of reports detailing how much blood there was, where it came from, and how it got where it was at the crime scene. It helps to surround yourself around these labs early on so that you can get used to the proper reporting procedures and paperwork that you'll be subject to every day after visiting a crime scene.

Make Sure Science Is A Focal Point In Your Education

You'll need a good amount of formal education to work as a bloodstain pattern forensic analyst, but one of the most important fields to focus on is science. A lot of duties that this job requires of you will involve science-related principles, such as collecting evidence and analyzing it back at a lab. If you spend a good portion of your formal education learning scientific principles, you'll have an easier time transitioning into this professional role and having more success later on in your career.

If you're not afraid of blood and actually would like to use it to solve crimes, then working as a bloodstain pattern forensic analyst may be an optimal career for you. As long as you know what it takes from day one, you can be realistic with this profession and pursue it if you're a compatible fit. For more information, contact a bloodstain pattern forensic analysis service.