SANEs: How many of you DID NOT start in the ER

Hey there !

I was a SANE nurse for 4 years and DID NOT start out in the ER...... but I eventually wound up there and loved it ! I started out as a med/surg nurse when I started my job as a sane. So ..... no you dont HAVE to be an ER nurse. I would say that you should be a nurse for at least a year so you do have the assessment skills needed to be a sane. Keep doing the advocate work, that will expose you to more cases and keep you in the loop with the sexual assault working world. I did the on-call thing, even as an ER nurse.... I was just able to work in the ER and do my on call time while working, as someone would come in a take over my ER load when I had a case that would come in.... therefore I didnt have to give up so much of my free time to be on call. Because..... after a while you cherish your free time and dont want to spend it all on call ! Just a word of the wise. The assessment skills are critical to have (and not the ones you learn in school...) because it takes time and experience to learn these.... you learn them by working in any unit. You generally work alone when doing cases (I have never had another nurse work a case with me) and you need to have this time and skill before you can tackle such an important job. Good Luck with your schooling..... if you have the desire..... you can make it happen.

Do most people who go into forensic nursing have backgrounds in Psychology? My BA is in Criminology.