The Forensic Nurse

Many people know that the color of your skin can have an effect on almost every aspect of your life. But what about being raped?

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing have released a new study that shows dramatic results when it comes to identifying injuries that may have occurred during a sexual assault depending on the color of the victims skin.

The Researchers conducted a study of 120 volunteers who were predominatly white or african-american and conducted examinations after they had engaged in consentual sex. They found that 68% of the white women had incurred at least one external injury (tearing, abrasions, or swelling), but only 43% of the darker skinned women showed the same levels of injury.

Because physical injury as a result of sexual assualt is usually the exception rather than the norm, being able to clearly show an injury often has a positive effect on people “believing” the victims story.

Being a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner or SANE, I have heard countless times from law enforcement officers, social workers, other nurses, and even the victims own family members that they dont believe the victims story.

Sexual Assualts usually happen one on one, in a private setting with no other witnesses, cameras, or other ways to try and help determine if the sex was consentual or not.

Because most of these cases come down to a he said / she said scenario the ability to produce accurate forensic evidence is critical. There may or may not be DNA evidence and if injuries are harder to detect on darker skinned victims that puts them at a distinct disadvantage both clinically and in the criminal justice system.

The Los Angeles Daily News recently reported that the LAPD is a backlog of more than 7,000 rape kits waiting for processing by the LAPD DNA lab.  Some of these cases are nearing the ten year mark, at which time they become inadmissible as evidence due to the statute of limitations law in california with regard to evidence testing. In California, if the kit is tested within two years of the sample collection date, then there is no statute of limitations for it.

The main reason that these kits haven’t been tested yet, is simply manpower and funding. In just five years the demand for kits to be tested has doubled.  According to the article. “In about 2000, the department ordered analysts to keep every shred of cell evidence in rape cases, just in case they might need to test it. Before the change, rape kits were regularly purged from the property division, with the permission of an investigating officer.”

The City of Los Angeles recently approved the hiring of 16 addtional criminalists, but these positions have yet to be funded.

Often I hear the question, “how do I become a forensic nurse?”. There are many sexual assault centers around the country, and even around the world. But not all of them offer the same standards of care.

Lets say you wanted to remodel your basement. You could open the phone book and find a wide array of contractors who would happily come and try to meet your needs. Some of them are licensed, bonded, and insured….and others…..well they try their best.

When it comes to sexual assault victims services you may find yourself in a similar situation. Depending on where you live, there may be a full service facility with fully trained and certified SANE’s, counciling services, advocates and more. 

It is also quite possible that you have no formalized services at all. in several areas (counties, cities, etc) of the country do not recognize SANE expertise. A lot of this has to do with the expierence that local district attorneys and law enforcement have had with others who may or may not have had any formalized training at all.

Although the IAFN has served as an example of standards of care, there is no regulating body that makes sure these standards are taught and  mandated for nursing sexual assault practice. Forensic Nursing is now recognized by the ANA as a specific dicipline these days, but the formalized standards of care vary greatly from facility to facility. 

There are many facilities that allow nurses without any forensic nursing credientials or formalized training to practice as a sexual assault nurse.  This variance in education and training often leads to botched cases, misleading or inaccurate collection of data, and is detremental to the SANE cause. 

Part of what makes a forensic nurse such a valuable tool for law enforcement, district attorneys, and their patients is adhering to a standard of care. Allowing nurses to practice as a SANE, without giving them the tools they need to succeed is harmful to SANEs everywhere, and worse yet to the patient.

Failure to properly follow a standard of care, and the established rules of evidence collection could very easily lead to the rapist going free or even the wrong person being arrested. Rape and Sexual Assault touches lives forever.

Over the last few years more and more convictions are being overturned because of faulty evidence collection or DNA. We owe it to our patients, and we owe it to the accused to make sure that we get it right.

The Northside Hospital - Forsyth, Sexual Assualt Nurse Examiner program is proud to announce that they have become the only SANE  program in the state of Georgia to use employ the use of SDFI technology.  

Secure Digital Forensic Imaging technology offers digital imaging clarity that is on the cutting edge. This technology is also fully compliant with federal rules of evidence, ensuring that the images stored will be admissible in court if necessary.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008 (8:00 AM) - Wednesday, June 11, 2008 (4:45 PM)

Event Web Address: http://www.bcit.ca/study/outlines/fsct7840200810
Event Sponsor: British Columbia Institute of Technology

Contact Person: Angelina Popoff
Contact Phone Number: 604-454-2269
Contact Email: angelina_popoff@bcit.ca

Event CEUs: 45 hour course
Event Fee: contact BCIT

Training Event?: Yes

Description: This course provides the forensic knowledge and skills for forensic health assessments, evidence collection, chain-of-custody, documentation and evaluation of victims of sexual assault (adult and adolescent). The course covers the theoretical aspects for the specialized care of victims of sexual assault that will be utilized in a practical setting. This course is open to all health care and non-health care professionals admitted to the program. This course is offered in Fredricton, New Brunswick Canada by River Valley Health. Contact for River Valley Health is Denise Weigum at 506-452-5974 or denise.weigum@rvh.nb.ca Lead instructor is Sheila Early RN, BScN, SANE-A

 Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
3700 Willington Avenue
Burnaby, BC V5G 3H2 Canada

Sometimes the professionals who help victims of sexual assualt may inadventently experience injuries as the result of trying to help those who have been victimized. Not physical injuries, but the emotional injuries, just as real as those experienced by their victims.

Dealing with horrific and traumatized victims on a daily basis can drain on the mental strength of these professionals. Forensic Nurses, child protective services, prosecutors, therapists, and law enforcement officials are often exposed daily to the kind of nightmares that many of us can’t even, or maybe just don’t want to think about.

One website called www.silentinjuries.com is dedicated to trying to help support those who support others. They specialize in trying to help SANE’s and other professionals of sexual abuse to deal with relationship problems, depression, sleep deprivation, and social issues that they may experience as a result of their work.

Cook Children’s Healthcare - TX

RN - Forensic Nurse Examiner
Department: CCMC Cln-Care Team
Schedule: Full-Time
Shift: Days
Hours: 8:00am-4:30pm/M-F
Job Details:
Summary: Provides enhanced services in the examination, evaluation and evidence collection process involving victims of interpersonal violence. Responsible for case management of victim services. Serves as liaison to Child Protective Services, multidisciplinary agencies and law enforcement in medico-legal related trauma care.
Qualifications: Graduate of an accredited school of professional nursing, BSN preferred. Two years of Emergency or ICU pediatric experience. Must have completed a training program for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners. Current licensure to practice professional nursing in the State of Texas. Obtain National Certification as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner through the International Association of Forensic Nurses within two years of hire date.

http://www.hospitaljobsonline.com/jpmoreinfo.aspx?JobID=15993617&AffID=253974

Banner Health Systems is currently looking for an RN - Forensic Nurse Examiner

 originally publised on the ncjrs.gov website as part of a federally funded grant.

Full Report: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/214252.pdf

Goals and Objectives: The goal of this study is to test the efficacy of SANE/SART programs as a tool in the criminal justice system. The American Prosecutors Research Institute and Boston College tested the hypotheses that SANE/SART exams increase arrest and prosecution rates. In testing this hypothesis, the project team sought to answer five primary research questions: