HCSS Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (Registered Nurse)
Job Summary:
Proficient Clinician. Practice is characterized by a balance of interdependent/independent decision making and a consistent holistic approach to patient care.
Major Duties / Critical Tasks:
- Aware of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas (OAG) requirements for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) certification and re-certification
- Submit paperwork to the OAG prior to expiration date.
- Using specialized training, knowledge, and skills, to proficiently assess, identify actual and potential nursing patient care needs to provide comprehensive care for the sexual assault patients.
- Demonstrate competency in conducting the Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examination with evidence collection on a sexual assault patient.
- Aware of the Texas Protocol for forensic evidence collection.
- Aware of updates from the Texas Department of Safety Crime Laboratory on current improved techniques for evidence collection and storage as relates to sexual assault patients.
- Proficiently and consistently completes accurate, concise, and legible documentation on all patient forensic records (written, illustrated and photo-imaging) and hospital records.
- Be prepared to complete a suspect patient examination.
- Proficient in maintaining chain of custody.
- Prepared to testify in court and possibly be an expert witness.
- Implements and promotes individualized approach to provide compassion and understanding.
- Demonstrates caring, compassion, and sensitivity to the patients of sexual assault.
- Safely and proficiently provides age appropriate and culturally sensitive nursing care to sexual assault patients.
- Actively serves as a patient / family advocate consistently focuses on patient / family rights and meeting their individual needs
- Proficiently assess the patient / family readiness to learn, implement appropriate teaching strategies and evaluate understanding of information / instructions given.
- Aware of community resources for the sexual assault patients.
- Functions independently and as a supportive team member of the Forensic Nursing Team.
- Identifies learning needs of self and others.
- Puts needs of others above his / hers own through accountability , compassion, integrity, and respect
- Promotes and displays a professional verbal and nonverbal demeanor
- Participate in preceptorship of new sexual assault nurse examiners.
- Serves as a forensic resource for the hospital staff.
- Serves as a Liaison to community agencies.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary team consisting of: Law Enforcement, Protective Services, Resource & Crisis Center, Child Advocacy Center, and District Attorney’s Office.
- Participate in community education.
- Collaborate with Forensic Nursing Team Program Coordinator and medical director.
- Attend Sexual Assault training, conferences and case review for education and recertification requirements as per OAG guidelines.
- Attend conferences to pursue ongoing professional growth opportunities and share with forensic nurses and other staff members.
- Accepts responsibility for own growth development.
- Utilizes sexual assault nursing research and quality improvement to enhance practice.
- Performs and reports point of care testing.
- Provides and maintains a clean safe environment, performs proper aseptic technique preventing cross contamination of DNA from one patient to another.
- Aware of and stays within the guidelines of the sexual assault related policies and procedures.
- Aware of updates on legislation regarding sexual assault issues.
- Aware of the standard medication orders for prophylaxis related to the sexual assault.
- Adheres to internal controls established for the department
- Performs other related duties as required.
Required Education / Experience:
- Registered Nurse for two or more years.
- Registered Nurse licensed to practice in the State of Texas.
- Registered Nurse license in good standing with no disciplinary action by the Board of Nursing.
- Preferred Emergency Room experience however not essential.
- Documented clinical competency and professional accountability.
- Completed the Texas Certification of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training by the Texas Office of the Attorney General
- Certification in Pediatric and Adult Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.
OR
- Completed at least 80 hours of sexual assault training approved by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas and
- Enrolled in the UTMB Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Preceptor Program and in the process of completing the clinical aspect of the certification process as per OAG requirements.
- Maintain educational and Case review requirements and documentation to complete re-certification every two years for Certification in Pediatric and Adult Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.
- Digital imaging training.
Equipment:
Standard patient care supplies, equipment, and mechanical devices. Standard hospital related office equipment. Show competency in point of care testing and quality requirements for testing. Colposcope and digital camera equipment.
Working environment:
- Work is located in an isolated quiet comfortable indoor room.
- May be required to work in area that is cramped, noisy and cause discomfort in specific circumstances.
- Alertness and careful attention to detail will be required.
- Vision, hearing, talking and sense of touch abilities must be adequate to enable one to accurately assess the patient, read small print(rulers), to observe detail of injuries, assess patient behavior
- May experience emotional distress hearing disturbing histories and assessing extensive horrific genital injuries.
- May be exposed to such occupational hazards as communicable diseases.
- May be required to work on-call shifts however more essential to balance the schedule to avoid on-call shifts.
- May be required to work extended shifts in cases deemed necessary by the Forensic Nursing Team Program Coordinator, Nursing manager or Director of Nursing.
Other:
Specific job requirements or physical location of some positions allocated to this classification, may render this position security sensitive, and thereby subject to provision of Section 51.215, Texas Education Code.
