Why Become a SANE?

After a sexual assault, survivors have choices to make.

Do they seek help at a hospital? Do they press charges against their attacker? Do they go to court?

Hopefully, they have chosen to get medical attention and if they are lucky they’ve arrived at a hospital with nurses who are trained to help sexual assault victims. Called sexual assault nurse examiners, or SANE nurses, these specialized medical professionals collect forensic evidence and help a victim take care of her or his physical and mental health after a traumatic experience. A SANE nurse may be called to testify in court.

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three women and one in four men have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact during their lifetimes.

The effects of experiencing an assault can be both physical and deeply psychological. Your training will show you how to care for the whole person.

The Training

The SANE education program is designed to train nurses to address survivors’ specific needs. After completion of this training, SANEs become uniquely qualified to treat this vulnerable patient group. This means that they can provide trauma-informed care to minimize the harm of invasive exams that may trigger a patient. In doing so, they can also equip their patients with forensic evidence that can be used if they decide to report their assault.

To become a SANE, you must first be a registered nurse preferably with two years or more experience in areas of practice that require advanced physical assessment skills, such as emergency, critical care, and maternal-child health.

We also ask that you live within an hour’s drive of a hospital that Riverview Center serves.
The training is 100% online.
You will shadow an experienced nurse for your first exam.
Your Riverview Center, SANE Coordinator is just a call away at any time.

SANE Job Description