TeleSANE: Medical Center selected as pilot site for sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) program
Date: 02/09/2021
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center is pleased to announce it has selected as the pilot site for a groundbreaking new program in Maine. TeleSANE is a grant-funded telehealth initiative of the Advanced Nursing Education Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program at the University of New England School of Nursing and Population Health.
The purpose of TeleSANE is to ensure virtual support for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners in Training, or SITs, as they provide medical and forensic care for sexual assault patients who present to the Emergency Department (ED). The program helps the Nurse Examiner in Training gain confidence and competence in providing trauma-informed care and an opportunity to work toward credentialing for the specialty. With the patient’s consent, a credentialed Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) will provide consultation in a virtual space in the patient exam room.
The SAFE will:
- recommend best practices for the medical/forensic care of the survivor,
- offer guidance on photo documentation or evidence collection,
- speak to any questions the Nurse Examiner in Training may have,
- debrief with the SIT, and
- support the patient.
The goal is to have on-call consultant coverage from 6 am to 11 pm, seven days a week in the ED.
Eight nurses in the Medical Center’s Emergency Department are Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners in Training, and some are very close to becoming a credentialed forensic nurse examiners, while others have recently committed to this nursing specialty. We are pleased and honored to support them in this important endeavor.