Karen Carroll, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, NY-SAFE, is a sexual assault survivor and forensic nursing specialist who is bringing her unique experience to other health care providers this Friday as part of The STEP-UP into Forensics Conference. Offered by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing, the conference will take place April 26 at the FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms.
SANE stands for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, and training SANEs is the purpose of the three-year, $1.5 million Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA) grant that funds the conference. Awarded to the college in 2021, the HRSA grant has supported the training of 65 nurses in forensic nursing and trauma-informed care, said Assistant Professor Andrea Sebastian, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC/PC, AFN-C, SANE-P. Of those, 20 have completed the program. In addition, six grant participants have completed national certification exams to be certified as a SANE. Twelve more exams are currently scheduled. Dr. Sebastian is the principal investigator of the HRSA grant.
“This training opportunity is available for anyone who cares for victims of violence but it is targeted to help nurses who care for victims of violence in West Tennessee,” Dr. Sebastian said. “In this conference, they will learn more about providing trauma-informed care to victims. This training also gives participants a chance to collaborate with other agencies and nurses, which will strengthen the response to violence in West Tennessee.”
The conference, which takes place from 8:15 am to 5:15 pm, covers topics such as human trafficking, pediatric physical abuse, and the West Tennessee Health SANE program and challenges for rural communities. The program targets advanced practice nurses, physicians, registered nurses, law enforcement, attorneys, patient advocates, and other community partners. Participants who complete the conference can earn 7.5 Nursing Continuing Professional Development credits. Carroll kicks off the conference with the keynote, “A Tale of Two Cases.”
Read more at our UTHSC news site.