Shifting Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners Orientation From Prosecutorial to Patient-Centered: The Role of Training

Enacting an "Empowerment Approach" After Sexual Assault: The Views and Beliefs of Forensic Nurse Examiners and Crisis Support Workers

BACKGROUND

Sexual violence is a profoundly disempowering experience. It is essential that survivors are offered access to comprehensive medical care, psychological support, and follow-up in a way that offers them a high level of choice and control.

AIMS

There has been little research into how practitioners working in the context of immediate postassault understand empowerment and reflect this in their care delivery. This study sought to explore how crisis support workers and forensic nurse examiners conceive how they enact an "empowerment approach" in a sexual assault referral center (SARC) in the United Kingdom.

METHODS

A phenomenological approach was taken, and data were gathered through focus groups and interviews.

FINDINGS

Themes were identified under the headings of "indicators of empowerment," "empowerment as a process," and "the empowerment approach."

CONCLUSION

As part of providing person-centered care that enacts an empowering approach within the SARC setting, professionals need the skills and resources to be able to respond flexibly to their clients. They have a role in addressing victim blaming of those subjected to sexual violence and in promoting the accessibility of SARC services.

Ready for Anything: A Holistic Approach to Training Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners

Although numerous training options exist for sexual assault nurse examiner certification, most focus on specific certification-related content rather than on creating a holistic preparation for sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) practice. Holistic preparation may be preferable for SANE trainees who are early in their nursing careers or who have practiced in limited clinical environments. This article describes a holistic training approach implemented at a SANE training site funded by the Advanced Nursing Education initiative of the Health Resources and Services Administration. Training covers hands-on pelvic and anal examinations, community education, underserved communities, self-care, and other topics that support newly trained SANEs in establishing and maintaining practice. This content has prepared trainees for a wide variety of patient encounters as well as for engaging with the community. With this approach, our trainees have the opportunity to enhance their ability to provide SANE care and to provide additional resources within their primary practice environments.