The Role Of The Sane The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
tudies have shown that well as testify in trials as less than half of the expert witnesses in the victim's victims of sexual assault perpetrator's trials. treated in emergency rooms get basic help with information about They have extensive training in the risk of pregnancy or forensic evidence collection, emergency contraception to expert witness testimony, STD prevent pregnancy. treatment, and pregnancy evaluation. 75% of SANE programs They have to wait for sometimes are hospital based, housed in the up to six hours for treatment, emergency rooms while 25% are in and during this wait, they're the community setting at rape told not to eat, drink, or even crisis centers or health clinics. use the bathroom before they're examined because it might destroy evidence. The first SANE programs started in the mid 1970's but it wasn't By the time of the examination, until the late 1980's that the victims often feel "re-raped" programs got a major growth spurt from the treatment by the staff as they grew more rapidly in the of the emergency room. For this 1990's when localities started to reason, emergency rooms are see the benefits of what these realizing a need for SANE SANE programs have to offer. And programs. by 1996, there were approximately 70 programs in existence. SANE's are registered nurses who have specialized training in Now, there are at least 280 SANE examining victims of sexual programs throughout the United assault. They provide much needed States. Nearly all of these SANE emotional support for victims as programs serve adolescents and
adults, and around half serve pediatric patients. Many municipalities are starting to see the need in these much The programs are staffed by RN's needed programs. They offer a and nurse practitioners that great service to victims by conduct forensic exams of victims quickly processing forensic of sexual assault. They are evidence and giving emotional required by law to report to support while making their time local law enforcement sexual to wait for examination as short assaults that may have caused the as possible. victim injury. As SANE programs get more and On the other hand, the victim has more popular, we'll start to see the right to decide to have many more of these programs as evidence collected and cooperate time goes on and this can only with law enforcement by providing help the victims of sexual them with information. After a violence and help put their SANE program is established, most perpetrators behind bars so they emergency room personnel are won't have a chance to hurt relieved by the service that anyone else. SANE's provide.
About the Author:
Larry Ford is the webmaster of Forensic Nursing Zone, a website dedicated to the new specialty of forensic nursing. You can find it at http://www.forensicnursingzone.com/
Source: www.isnare.com
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