June 14, 2023

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner in Elizabethtown, KY

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A SANE nurse is a sexual assault nurse examiner.

It's a registered nurse that goes through specialized training to provide comprehensive care and forensic

collection of evidence and emotional support of sexual assault patients.

Here at Baptist Health Hardin, we see more than just sexual assault.

We can see adult and pediatric physical assault, domestic violence, elder abuse, and human trafficking.

So, if someone comes in for sexual assault, we offer them services depending on their situation.

For a sexual assault patient, we would offer them a head-to-toe assessment,

we offer them injury documentation with photographs, a safe kit, which is a sexual assault forensic exam,

and that collects DNA evidence.

We can give prophylactic treatment and also testing for that.

We can do pregnancy testing, and then we can set them up with our rape crisis center

for counseling services.

The first step in helping them heal is believing them.

Throughout the process, we allow them to take their time to tell

us their story.

We consult our rape crisis center while the patient is here, and they provide counseling services

for the patient.

At their follow-up visit, we will ask again, like, to ensure that they have the counseling they need

to continue that healing process.

Well, the goal of our program is to empower individuals that have been assaulted.

No one ever asked for that.

So, they come in and see us, and we just want to empower them.

We want to believe them.

We want them to know that there are people here for them, and we want to take care of them.

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Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner

At Baptist Health Hardin, receive compassionate care and specialized support through our sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE).

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner in Elizabethtown, KY, HealthTalks Transcript:

Kristina Tapio, BSN, RN:
A SANE nurse is a sexual assault nurse examiner. It's a registered nurse that goes through specialized training to provide comprehensive care and forensic collection of evidence and emotional support of sexual assault patients. Here at Baptist Health Hardin, we see more than just sexual assault. We can see adult and pediatric physical assault, domestic violence, elder abuse, and human trafficking. So, if someone comes in for sexual assault, we offer them services depending on their situation.

For a sexual assault patient, we would offer them a head-to-toe assessment, we offer them injury documentation with photographs, a safe kit, which is a sexual assault forensic exam, and that collects DNA evidence. We can give prophylactic treatment and also testing for that. We can do pregnancy testing, and then we can set them up with our rape crisis center for counseling services.

The first step in helping them heal is believing them. Throughout the process, we allow them to take their time to tell us their story. We consult our rape crisis center while the patient is here, and they provide counseling services for the patient. At their follow-up visit, we will ask again, like, to ensure that they have the counseling they need to continue that healing process.

Well, the goal of our program is to empower individuals that have been assaulted. No one ever asked for that. So, they come in and see us, and we just want to empower them.We want to believe them. We want them to know that there are people here for them, and we want to take care of them.

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Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner in Elizabethtown, KY