1. A sexual assault nurse clinician or examiner is a registered nurse who has been specially trained to provide comprehensive care to sexual assault survivors. She usually is certified by her local institution after completing a training program of approximately 40 hours. Demonstrated competence in conducting a comprehensive evidential examination also is required. 2. All forensic examinations of the sexual assault survivor in the emergency department should include treatment and documentation of injuries, treatment and evaluation of sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy risk evaluation and prevention, crisis intervention and arrangements for follow-up counseling, and collection of medicolegal evidence while maintaining the proper chain of evidence. 3. The role of the nurse examiner involves providing comprehensive care for the survivor and working cooperatively with other individuals in the legal system.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Rape or self-injury?

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

PubMed1993

Sexual assault nurse clinician: an emerging area of nursing expertise.

The Sexual Assault Resource Service (SARS), in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been a leader in developing a new independent role for nurses, the Sexual Assault Nurse Clinician/Examiner. In this role, the nurse works closely with the emergency department staff, the police, and the courts to ensure that proper evidence is collected for use in court to aid in the prosecution of assailants. This program was developed in 1977 when a gap in service delivery to rape victims was identified by obstetric-gynecologic nurses at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. An initial 3.5-year demonstration treatment grant allowed development of the model program. The SARS nurse is on call to five community hospitals. When a rape survivor comes to one of the participating hospitals, the SARS nurse on call is paged. In the emergency department, the nurse completes the full evidentiary examination, evaluates the survivor's risk of pregnancy and offers preventive care; treats prophylactically for sexually transmitted diseases; provides crisis intervention; and ensures that injuries are treated by the emergency department staff. The SARS model was developed at the county hospital, but it was expanded to include four local private hospitals. In all hospitals, all services are free of charge to the survivor. There are approximately 12 similar programs throughout the United States.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed1992

The sexual assault nurse clinician: a fifteen-year experience in Minneapolis.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

The sexual assault examination: overview and lessons learned in one program.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Counseling rape victims: the nursing challenge.

Rape and sexual assaults are a pervasive problem encountered by women in our society today. Treatment approaches specifically useful with rape victims have been identified by nursing staff at the Sexual Assault Resource Service (SARS). This nursing research demonstration treatment program funded by the National Institute of Mental Health identifies seven essential components of counseling during the initial crisis period, which are discussed in this article.

Counseling↗

PubMed1990

Sexual assault evidence collection.

The evidentiary exam following sexual assault provides crucial evidence that can be used by the prosecuting attorney to obtain a conviction in sexual assault cases. Evidence is collected for three purposes: to corroborate the use of force; to corroborate that recent sexual contact occurred; and to identify the perpetrator. Relatively few assailants (4%) go to jail for rape. To a great extent this is because of a lack of corroborating evidence and misinterpretation of this lack of evidence by police, courts, and jurors. This paper presents the results of a study to determine the likelihood of obtaining corroborating evidence of recent coitus along with an explanation of what negative results mean. Based on the results, recommendations are presented for sexual assault evidence collection in emergency departments.

Acid Phosphatase↗