As part of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Campus Network, the Duquesne University School of Nursing offers a 10-week SANE campus-focused course
that covers topics within the field of forensic nursing, focusing specifically on
campus victim advocation and support. Participants will also be eligible for over
50 CE credits upon completion of the course. Participants will learn about a variety
of subjects, including:
What to do when a student reports an assault
How to work with campus and community partners
Prevention efforts that can be implemented on campus
Acute and long-term post-sexual assault care options, such as education of what to
expect with a forensic exam, counseling, pregnancy prevention and emotional trauma.
Upon completion of the course, which is approved by and follows guidelines from the
International Association of Forensic Nursing (IAFN), you will feel more confident in your knowledge of sexual assault and how it may
appear uniquely in a campus setting, the critical steps to take when a student reports
a sexual assault, and primary and secondary preventions to implement on your campus.
"The course exposed me to new avenues in my outreach to students."
Maria Rivera, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY
Course Details
This highly interactive course, taught by experts in forensic nursing, includes hours
of interactive video, discussion boards for asking questions and encouraging dialogue,
and additional readings.
The course has six modules with approximately four to six hours of lecture per week,
which is to be completed asynchronously. During the last two weeks of the course,
you will be required to complete a final exam.
There is no clinical component to this course. Because this course is entirely online,
there is no requirement to visit the Duquesne University campus.
Additionally, as part of the wider SANE Campus Network program, you will have access
to a series of 12 monthly sexual assault continuing education sessions that build
on content from the initial course and incorporate new information critical to understanding
campus-based sexual assault.
Course Related Questions
Who is eligible?
In order to take the course, you must be a nurse working on a university or college
campus at any employment level, whether it be on a part-time, full-time or casual
basis.
Certificate or Certification?
Upon completion of this course, you will have the necessary knowledge and tools to
educate and support victims of sexual assault on your campus. This course alone, however,
does not certify you as a SANE, who is often the first point of care when someone
has been sexually assaulted. Following the completion of this didactic course, you
will receive a certificate-not to be confused with SANE certification.
Most nurses who complete the training will not conduct sexual assault exams on campus,
but you will be prepared to educate students about the process and connect them with
the care they need. You will also be able to explain the SANE exam process in detail
and connect students with community-based resources.
What is a SANE-trained or Certified Provider?
As stated above, SANE-trained or certified providers are often the first point of
care after a sexual assault. They complete forensic sexual assault exams in which
they document trauma and collect evidence from assaults. SANEs may also provide holistic
nursing care for victims, which could include referring victims to other specialists,
providing prophylactic antibiotics and testing for pregnancy. SANEs are unique in
that they are also able to advocate for a patient by testifying for them in court,
using evidence from the forensic exam.
SANEs are a part of what is called the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), which
can be composed of counselors, law enforcement and other specialists within health
care. They occupy a critical, supportive role for victims of sexual assault.
How to Become Certified as a SANE?
The SANE campus-focused course fulfills the requirement of a 40-hour didactic course
by an accredited provider, as specified in the SANE certification eligibility. Following
completion of this SANE course, you will:
Need to take a SANE clinical preceptor course, which will provide hands-on preceptorship
opportunities to complete simulated clinical experiences.
Then have three years to complete 300 hours of SANE-related, hands-on practice. It
is important to understand that you must work in a facility where you will have the
opportunity to complete these 300 practice hours within the three-year time limit.
Be required to successfully take the certification examination in order to be officially
certified as a SANE.
Through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Duquesne
University School of Nursing offers a SANE program that provides funded, advanced nurse education and support to increase the number
of Registered Nurses who are trained and certified as SANEs.
Duquesne University School of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing
continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's
Commission on Accreditation.
Upon completion of the course, which is approved by and follows guidelines from the
International Association of Forensic Nursing (IAFN), you will feel more confident in your knowledge of sexual assault and how it may
appear uniquely in a campus setting, the critical steps to take when a student reports
a sexual assault, and primary and secondary preventions to implement on your campus.