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Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner - Career Profile |
Career OverviewA Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) is a registered nurse with advanced education and training in the forensic examination of sexual assault victims.
Typically, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner is a graduate of one of the hundreds of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Programs that emerged in the 1990s across the United States.
Sexual assault nurse examiners are trained to conduct physical examinations of sexual assault victims, which may lead to arrest and prosecution of the perpetrator. They are also trained to provide some degree of psychological primary care to sexual assault victims and to recognize the longstanding problem that many sexual assault victims are traumatized again by their experience of care in the emergency departments of hospitals and of the evidence collection during the initial examination.
Unique amongst forensic professionals, sexual assault nurse examiners are trained to provide victim-sensitive solutions to the so-called systematic gap in the medical and legal response to victims of sexual assault.
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Career RequirementsSexual assault nurse examiners must hold a current and unrestricted license to practice as a registered nurse and they must also have a minimum of two years full-time equivalent practical experience as a registered nurse in order to practice.
It is also preferred, although not required, for sexual assault nurse examiners to have additional training and certification, to demonstrate competency in the area of specialist practice.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center awards licenses to qualified sexual assault nurse examiners and is the official source for more information about finding an accredited training course. The International Association of Forensic Nurses provides additional information about courses and certification in forensic nursing. For more information, contact the following organizations:
International Association of Forensic Nurses
www.forensicnurse.org
(856) 256-2425
iafn@ajj.com
American Nurses Credentialing Center
600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 100 West
Washington, D.C. 20024-2571
(800) 284-2378
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Job OutlookIn the next decade, nursing will be one of the top 10 fastest growing professions in the United States according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Health care facilities will be looking to cut back on general costs so clinical nurse specialists may become the preferred alternative to more specialized medical professionals.
The future looks bright in the nursing field, with the number of jobs for registered nurses expected to increase at a rate far greater than that of most other jobs in the next couple of years.
Since the emergence of sexual assault nurse examiners, there have been 54 instances of nurses testifying and providing forensic evidence for trials. Of these, 51 of the trials have resulted in conviction. There is also substantial evidence that sexual assault nurse examiners collect better evidence than non-sexual assault nurse examiners. Their involvement in cases also reduces the cost of prosecuting sexual assault cases.
There has also been some discussion about dividing the field of nursing into professional nurses and technical nurses. This will distinguish between those who have four-year degrees and those who have associate degrees.
Sexual assault nurse examiners will be secure in the job market if such a distinction occurs as they are generally required to have the type of advanced training that will distinguish them as professional rather than technical nurses.
As the field of forensic nursing develops, there will certainly be increased opportunity for nurses to demonstrate leadership and to influence the direction of the field.
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Career TrackSee Forensic Nurse
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CompensationSee Forensic Nurse
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