SANE's in ER's?

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

Are any of you a SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner)? If so, how soon after becoming an ER nurse did you choose to do this? -Andrea

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

Ok, let's try this. Do you have SANE's in your ER? For goodness sake, someone please post an answer! -Andrea

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Yes we have Sanes in our ER.

Im not one, and dont want to be one.

Sometimes there is too much time in courts and with lawyers

I hate all lawyers

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Specializes in Telemetry, ICU, Resource Pool, Dialysis.

Aneroo, I don't think any of our ER nurses are SANEs, but we have several on staff who work elsewhere in the hospital. They just take turns being on call if one of them isn't working somewhere in the hospital.

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

Thank you both. -Andrea

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This might be a good thread for the Forensic nursing forum. I have seen discussion on SANE nursing there. In fact, I think if you do a search you will find just the info you are looking for.

Good luck! :)

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Specializes in ER.
Are any of you a SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner)? If so, how soon after becoming an ER nurse did you choose to do this? -Andrea

I didn't answer originally because I am not a SANE nurse, but yes, I have worked in ER's with SANE nurses and I think it is a wonderful idea! I have worked without them, and a rape can tie up one nurse for half the shift, leaving everyone else working short. Plus, the idea of going to court and being grilled by a defence attorney trying to say I did not do my job correctly so some creep can go free is not my idea of a fun time.

The SANE nurses are specifically trained to dot the i's and cross the t's so this does not happen. They are allowed the time to do the job right, with the proper equipment.

I have worked in cities where all rapes went to one hospital. If they happened to walk into a non SANE facility, they were cleared medically then escorted by PD to the proper facility. Other cities have SANE nurses on call thru the YWCA and they come to whatever facility needs them.

As far as how long to work in the ER prior to this, I can't help you. I don't really think you have to be an ER nurse to do this, as it is fairly specialized, but all of the SANE nurses I have known were ER nurses.

Hope you get the answers you are seeking.

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Specializes in emergency nursing-ENPC, CATN, CEN.

I work with SANEs in our ED- excellent field-leads into forensics. Not my thing but many love it. It's like an off shoot of ED nursing that turned into it's own specialty! I'm glad they're around- I hated RAPE cases--I felt so inadequate- prior to the SANE program, ED nursing didn't prepare you with much training with the "dreaded rape kit"- pulling out/combing etc.

SANE nurses are great- improving conviction rates on these cases because of their training, education.

Anne

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did it after 1.5 yrs of nursing....interesting but ... alot of extra time (that you don't always get paid for) you have to do a certain number of cases or lose your credentials...it was a pain in the butt and not worth it.

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Specializes in ER.

I did the SANE training, but unfortunately never got to fully use my skills...I went back to my institution (this was 4 years ago...) and wrote policies and procedures as we needed serious help in the area and we were in the process of losing our ob service due to rising malpractice...so we needed something to fall back on because our ob residents were the ones that did the inconsistently done rape evals...So I spent ridiculous amount of hours meeting with administrators and staff, I was able to get 3 other nurses SANE trained under a special grant for $60....and then I hit a brick wall and they wouldn't pay for sane on call time and despite having prosecuters office backing...they just wouldn't budge...It came down to a money issue and a "we don't want to be known as the rape center" issue...so all of my efforts were fruitless and I became very frustrated...I did manage to get a policy approved that the nurses were allowed to do the complete exam. Which was a small victory...but the whole process was so painful I lost interest...The hospital I am in now we don't do rape evals at all, we medically clear and transport them to the nearby "designated rape center hospital." So I don't really have the opportunity to use my training where I am now either. I'd probably have to go through training again if I wanted to practice as a SANE now.

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Specializes in Emergency.

I worked in a rural hospital where the SANEs were in the ER.

I worked in a major hospital where we sent all the SANE cases to another hospital

I work at another hospital where all of the SANE cases go up to the GYN floor...........

weird isn't it?

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