Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners
Stillwater Medical Center staffs ten SANE nurses who are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) are registered nurses who have completed specialized education and clinical preparation in the medical forensic care of the patient who has experienced sexual assault or abuse. A sexual assault nurse examiner can evaluate an adult or post pubescent adolescent (has had her first period) victim whose assault has occurred within the previous 120 hours (5 days).
Frequently Asked Questions - Sexual Assault
What to Expect When You Arrive
On arrival to the emergency department, a triage nurse will take your vital signs and immediately escort you (and a support person/s if you choose) to a private room to wait for your SANE nurse to arrive. A confidential sexual assault advocate will be contacted to support you through the exam and/or provide many resources for crisis intervention and counseling.
If you would like to have law enforcement contacted, staff can do so at this or any time. (You do not have to notify law enforcement or participate in prosecution to receive a SANE exam at no charge to you.) Patients 18 years of age and older, have the option of whether or not to report the assault. Regardless of whether they report the assault, all victims have the right to a medical forensic examination, crisis intervention, counseling, support groups and medical care.
Once your SANE nurse has arrived, she will conduct her exam, which takes approximately 1-2 hours. This exam will include a written account of the assault, a physical exam including a genital/pelvic exam (much like a PAP smear at your gynecologist), and prophylactic treatment (antibiotics) for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). You will also be offered the morning-after pill (Plan B) if you choose. You will not see an emergency physician unless you request to, or the SANE nurse finds injuries that are in need of medical treatment. While performing the exam, the SANE nurse will collect forensic evidence for law enforcement and prosecution should you chose to pursue charges.
For more information, email us at info-sane@stillwater-medical.org
