Men in Forensic Nursing (SANE Specifically)

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I'm a nursing student who is interested in critical care nursing and I have just started reading about Forensic Nursing and I was wondering how many men do you see in the forensic nursing field and specifically how many men do you see as SANE nurses (no pun intended.) I am curious more then anything but I wonder if this might be an area where men might have a more difficult time since I assume that most victims of sexual assault are women who were assaulted by men and thus they may be uncomfortable with having a man as their SANE nurse right after such a traumatic experience. So everyone, tell me how it is. Thanks

!Chris :specs:

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

It is not impossible, because sometimes men get raped usually by other men. So what is the real answer here? There are other areas of Forensic Nursing, like corrections, psych and death scene investigations...

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
It is not impossible, because sometimes men get raped usually by other men. So what is the real answer here? There are other areas of Forensic Nursing, like corrections, psych and death scene investigations...

Thanks for your help. I realize there are other aspects of Forensic Nursing but the area I think I would be more interested in is the SANE. I was just wondering if anyone knows of any male sexual assault nurse examiners.

!Chris :specs:

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I remember seeing an older thread about this but I forget the exact heading. I have never seen a male SANE but that does not mean they don't exist.

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Dear CJC,

Yes! There are MEN in SANE nursing! And from what I hear, they make some of the best ones, so there is hope for you accomplishing this career goal!

Contact www.iafn.org and ask for some help. I personally know of two, one of whom was a colleague of mine when I worked as Forensic Nurse ( I didn't perform the SANE exams) at the same trauma center. And yes, most of the clients are women, but I can think of other situations where males are clients as well: in custody sexual assault, group homes, and perpetrator exams.

I would be happy to help you, but I can't reply to private messages, only recieve them.

Good Luck!

KC007

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I am not yet a nurse so I really have no experience dealing with this situation. I personally have never been in a situation where a SANE was necessary (praise God) so I am not sure how a male SANE would be received by a female patient. I am glad, however, to hear that men are pursuing careers where there once were definite boundaries. As other responders have said though, men are sexually assaulted. Actually, I believe it happens more than we as the public ever hear about. Either way, good luck in whatever you do!

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I am not yet a nurse so I really have no experience dealing with this situation. I personally have never been in a situation where a SANE was necessary (praise God) so I am not sure how a male SANE would be received by a female patient. I am glad, however, to hear that men are pursuing careers where there once were definite boundaries. As other responders have said though, men are sexually assaulted. Actually, I believe it happens more than we as the public ever hear about. Either way, good luck in whatever you do!

I am not a nurse (yet :nuke:) but I am a rape crisis counselor. I have worked with both male and female SANEs in the ED. While you can never predict how a survivor will respond in the wake of such a traumatic event, in the case of a female survivor having a male SANE conduct the examination can be the first *positive* contact with a male following the assault, and the quality care and support the SANE (regardless of gender) provides is the first step in the survivor's recovery. Obviously, every case is different, and some survivors may feel more comfortable with only female nurses/doctors. IMHO SANE can help survivors take back control after an assault, and the SANEs that I have worked with have been incredibly helpful to have in the ED to explain the exam in simple terms, and to reassure the patient. So thank you to all of you SANEs - male and female!:bow:

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Specializes in ER, ICU, admin, academe, forensic.

I am a male SANE certified in both child and adult sexual assault forensic examinations. I have never experienced any problem with any patient. On a rare occasion a few are skeptical about the exam, sometimes about me, but mostly what I am going to do during the exam. Explaining to them step-by-step what will occur, guaranteeing their comfort, safety and modesty every step of the way, and letting them know they are in charge of the exam puts them at ease. They know they can stop the exam any time and ask questions or just take a rest, talk to me about their favorite movies, music, etc., and we proceed only when they are ready. They have made me an expert on Hannah Montana, Britney, Dora, Barbie, Hello Kitty, and Beyonce :). After the exam I almost always gets hugs of appreciation from patients and mom's for my attention to their comfort, gentleness, and post-exam teaching about the colposcope images taken, STD education, injuries, healing, follow-up needs, etc. Several adult patients and mothers of peds patients have asked me if they could return in the future for me to do their annual PAPs because I was "so kind and professional." Unfortunately I must decline because that is not the scope of my practice. It is all in your professional approach. I spend an hour or more talking with patients and mom's (or other guardian) before beginning the exam. Introduce yourself, let them know your credentials and experiences. Help them realize it's all about them and absolutely nothing is going to happen that they do not want to happen. I have patients and moms call me months later to thank me again, and give me updates on their post-assault recovery. Some have said the day they came to see me they had no idea what was going to happen, how to handle what had happened, what to do, where to go, who to turn to, and that I got them going in the right direction, gave them courage, listened to them without judgment, and they're "going to be ok now." That's what it's all about. When a little one, teen or adult woman comes to you for a sexual assault exam treat them like a real princess. Help them understand they are the only thing in the universe that matters at that moment. Anything less is unacceptable.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Welcome to allnurses.com, SANEguy.

Thank you so much for your post!!

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Specializes in Trauma/ED, SANE/FNE, LNC.

I have worked with male SANE's and we never had a victim ask for a different nurse to do the exam. In fact one of our male SANE's first case was a male developmentally disabled victim of sexual assault.

I applaud all of our male nurses out there, they are some of the best!

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Wow that must be a very difficult role to do within nursing. That must take some skill. I am a woman and I dont think I could do such a job. Not because I have experienced that kind of trauma but just the idea of having to examine another womans insides after such a horrendous assault.

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