I n July, Georgia College’s School of Nursing will complete a $803,000 grant awarded in October 2018 to train nurses in forensic medical exams and trauma-informed care.

The nurses who complete this training receive a certificate to practice as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)—registered nurses that are specially trained in caring for survivors of sexual assault or abuse.

They fulfill an important role in Georgia, where there aren’t enough SANEs for the number of survivors in the state. Programs like this, however, are working to change that. 

“Georgia College offering clinical training is what really targets the biggest gap we have in Georgia,” said Statewide SANE Coordinator Sarah Pederson. “Empowering that patient in that moment of care is critical because their power was just taken from them. It’s a population that we need to prepare for providing trauma-informed care, properly collect samples and work within a multidisciplinary criminal justice team.”

The course, built from the ground-up by Dr. Shantee Henry, ANE-SANE Grant Coordinator, Dr. Josie Doss, ANE-SANE program director and Denise Atkinson, sexual assault center director for Crisis Line & Safe House (CL-SH), is based on guidelines from the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN). 

Over three years, it has trained over 100 nurses in a 12-week, didactic course with a three-day clinical immersion. It is designed to teach nurses from across Georgia on Georgia laws, courtroom testimony, conducting sexual assault exams and forensic nursing skills like forensic photography and documentation.

These skills are applicable to every day nursing, Henry said. In one participating nurses’ case, a patient diagnosed with a thyroid issue was later found to have been strangled, leading to different and improved care. 

“In forensic nursing, there are a lot of gray areas,” Henry said. “Because of that training, they’re able to deal with a multitude of scenarios that they wouldn’t know how to handle otherwise. Someone who isn’t trained could miss many key things that could be instrumental in prosecution.”

The grant for this training ends in July, but Henry still sees a future for the program.

“After the grant ends, we’ll still have the course available,” she said. “Looking forward, we are looking for other funding and developing courses to create a postgraduate forensic certificate at Georgia College.” 

The confidence that comes with completed training is already impacting the lives of some students, like graduate student of nurse-midwifery, Katey Jones, '18. 


“Being able to pick up on warning signs from patients is a key takeaway for me,” she said. “You don’t always see clear marks, and there are ways to observe patient demeanor. Is the person with them really their boyfriend or spouse? Or, are they being trafficked? We’re the last barrier.”

For graduate student of nurse-midwifery Heather Laflam, the training has taught her what a SANE can be for a survivor.

“There’s a lot more to it than collecting evidence,” she said, “it’s starting the healing process.”