When first starting sane/ forensic nursing...

Editorial Team / Moderator · Aug 5, 2013

People come from different backgrounds and have had different experiences, so it is really impossible to predict how anyone else will react.

Mizuki N. · Aug 6, 2013

LunahRN thank you for your response. I didn't mean that I wanted you to predict how I was going o react, I just wanted to hear different instances of this scenario so I can see how others reacted.

Belle2013 · Aug 15, 2013

I would really like to hear this also. I'm interested as well but would like to hear the different opinions on dealing with the cases and emotions that go with it however individualized they may be. We have 6 sane nurses where I work currently and they are always looking for more due to our case load. I'm interested but scared all at the same time.

Katie71275 · Aug 20, 2013

Not a SANE nurse, but I worked for CPS and had to go to many forensic exams for children with a SANE nurse(and have gone with docs) and it was pretty upsetting for me. I worked with children and I'll just say..it was hard. I think you would have to learn to block some of it....some of the positions the children were put in were vulnerable ones that sometimes the children couldn't handle.

LandD_RN_chica · Aug 20, 2013

How does a nurse go about getting into forensic nursing and what exactly does her job entail?

newohiorn, BSN, RN, EMT-P · May 20, 2014

I'm a SANE nurse for adults only so I can't speak to how it would feel to care for peds but I imagine it would be quite different. That being said I've only been a SANE for a little over a year and I have not had to care for anyone with a lot of physical trauma--have only seen minor trauma. I am a very pragmatic person and have not been hugely affected psychologically as of yet. That's not to say I don't care and can't empathize but when I go in to a case I'm there to be compassionate, supportive and get a job done collecting evidence. I am not trained as a counselor so I do not try to be one. I provide as much emotional support as I can while I'm there but, for me, that's not the focus of my time with the patient. I believe that my patients appreciate my professional, no-nonsense approach. Most are pretty raw when they come in for an exam and just want to get it over with and get home or to a safe place. I do not think they are particularly ready for a lot of psychological counseling at that time because they are probably still processing. It should also be noted that I am fortunate enough not to have ever suffered any kind of sexual assault so I don't deal with any personal history that might make this job more difficult. I suspect (but do not know) that a decent percentage of SANE nurses are survivors of sexual assault and I suspect that changes things a bit. Each case sticks with you a bit and some certainly more than others. My boss is extremely supportive and always available if we need to talk/debrief.