[JRapha'sRN]

The facility I worked at for the last three years sent a few of us to the SART classes (40+ hrs of classroom training) so we would be more prepared if we had to do an exam. Even with this training, we sent the rape victims to the nearest hospital with a SART program with a qualified SANE RN. I am now doing travel nursing and at this assignment ALL the RNs in the ER are expected to do the exam or at least help the ER doc as s/he does the exam. We have the forensic assault kit in the ER. We do not have a culposcope (sp?) or any good cameras. We only have a poloroid--and you know those are horrible for color quality as well as zooming in on small tears, scratches and abrasions. I am concerned about the quality of exams as well as what will happen when some of these go to trial.

Have you ever worked at a facility that requires all ER RNs to do a sexual assault exam without training?

How do you do a good exam without a culposcope or a good camera? (I know, document, document, document...)

[gonzo1]

In our ER all nurses are trained to do sexual assault exam, MD comes into room only for pelvic portion of exam, then leaves. We use a kit sent to us from state police and it is handed off to local police. We don't have any cameras, so no way to document that way. I would like to see better training for our nurses who do this but doubt this will happen any time soon.

[sirI]

gonzo1
In our ER all nurses are trained to do sexual assault exam, MD comes
into room only for pelvic portion of exam, then leaves. We use a kit
sent to us from state police and it is handed off to local police. We
don't have any cameras, so no way to document that way. I would like to
see better training for our nurses who do this but doubt this will
happen any time soon

Well, maybe this is their turning point - YOU will be the one who makes a difference............