Demand for Forensic Nurse?

thak you so much! my next question is...it seems like this field (sane nurse especially) is different than a normal nurse in the aspect of...for example budget gets caught and you lose your job...atleast i have seen several post on here about that...am i correct? who do you work for as a sane nurse? the hospital? why would the stray away from having that tipe of nurse? or am i confused???

Maybe I can answer a few of your questions.

I am a SANE nurse. I work as a staff RN at a trauma center and the SANE duties are prn. My hospital is currently the only hospital in our area with a SANE program,..the next closest is about 4hrs away. We work closely with the local prosecutors office, law enforcement and the crime lab. My duties as a SANE nurse are through the hospital and done in the ER. There are five full time RN's that are SANE certified right now. Usually one of us is working a shift,..if not we take turns being on call. At this point in time, through our ER, there really isn't enough cases for us to be a full time SANE nurse. This is a new program for our area and we are still working out the "kinks" but so far so good.

Hope that helps. I'd be happy to answer any questions that I can!

Hi RN-Cardiac,

Thanks for sharing your experience as a SANE. I've been wondering if SANEs are paid the per diem rate they would be paid as a regularly staffed RN or if (in your experience) SANEs are paid a set amount (ex: a flat rate of $200 per case).

I'm not asking you to share your personal salary info, just want to know,in general, how a SANEs pay rate is figured.

Also, how many shifts do you find yourself working in about a month? I know this can vary but has there been an average amount of shifts worked per month as a SANE?

Thanks for your help!

wsuchic1,

I work full time nights as a staff nurse in the ER. If a case comes in I do it. I get paid my regular salary. If we don't have a SANE nurse working (rare) we take turns being on call,.and will get a small on call pay, and our hourly wage if we get called in, 4 hour min. I do know of hospitals that pay per case, but as of now we aren't doing it that way.

I work 3 or 4 12 hour shifts a week. I might do 2 cases one week and then I might not do one for 2 or 3 weeks. SANE work is not my full time job.

Durring our traing the prosecutors office reported that our county has the 2hd highest reports of sexual abuse in the state, yet we don't do enough exams to staff a full time SANE nurse that is dedicated to only SANE duties.

Hope that answers you questions.

siri

i have to challenge you on what you said about the sane nurse not being a patient advocate but a support person. being a sane for nine years it's all about being a patient advocate to get them the care needed and not having to sit in a waiting room for ten hours or more. its all about the evidence that we collect but it is also about the compassion to these patients because no one else wants to go into that room. i work with the peds population mostly in a facility that i have had to fight from day one to get great care for these patients. i'm not saying they won't get good care but i put it this way, if it was you or your child wouldn't you want the best for them to get it done right and have that chance to put that person behind bars because you knew what needed to be done. i not attacking you but this is something that i feel very strong about because we are seen in a different light at times.

this is such an interesting field to me. I have a previous degree in sociology/ with a concentration in criminology and social control, and i am one semster away from have my ADN. I feel like my two worlds have collided. I am really interested in SANE nursing. So glad this website is here for me to learn from!!!!