Thinking about becoming a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)? It’s one of the most meaningful roles in nursing, but also one of the most emotionally demanding.
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SANE nurses care for patients who have experienced sexual assault by providing:
• Trauma-informed medical care
• Forensic evidence collection
• Emotional support
• Documentation that may be used in court
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Many people don’t realize that exams can take hours, shifts are often on-call, and nurses may testify in court years later.
But the impact of this work is powerful.
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Sometimes simply believing and supporting someone in their worst moment can make a lifelong difference.
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If you’re considering this path, it’s important to go in informed and prepared.
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If you’re a SANE nurse, forensic nurse, or thinking about becoming one... what would you add?
The ocean covers over 70% of our planet, produces more than half of the world’s oxygen, and absorbs massive amounts of carbon dioxide. It’s not just a beautiful place to visit...it’s our life support system.
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But right now, it’s in danger.
-8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year.
-Coral reefs could disappear by 2050 if warming trends continue.
-Entire marine species are at risk from overfishing and pollution.
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We can’t afford to look away. Protecting the ocean means protecting our future:
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Choose reef-safe sunscreen
Cut down on single-use plastics
Support sustainable seafood
Use your voice for climate action
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The ocean doesn’t need us to save it....it needs us to stop harming it. Let’s be the generation that turns the tide. 🐳
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Thank you @sofviegas for these amazing photos!
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#ocean #savetheplanet #saveouroceans #oceanlife #oceanconservation #underwater #marinelife #scubadiving #sea #sealife #underwaterphotography #oceanlover #diving #nature #plasticfree #savetheoceans #oceanlove #saveourseas #oceans #seascape #scuba #seaworld #underwaterworld #plasticpollution #oneocean #sharks #oceananimals #shark #oceanphotography #seas
Trauma-Informed Care isn’t just a buzzword...it’s a shift in how we show up for patients and each other. In healthcare, we often meet people on the hardest day of their lives. Trauma-informed care reminds us to ask “What happened to you?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?” 💙
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As healthcare workers, here are the pillars we can lean on:
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Safety – Create an environment where patients feel physically and emotionally safe.
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Trustworthiness & Transparency – Clear communication builds trust.
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Peer Support – Healing happens in connection.
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Collaboration – Patients should be partners in their care.
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Empowerment, Voice & Choice – Offer options and validate their strengths.
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Cultural, Historical, and Gender Considerations – Recognize the impact of identity and history in the trauma response.
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Trauma is everywhere...so should trauma-informed care.
The way you speak, the tone you use, the small choices you offer… all of it matters more than you think. 🩺💜
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Let’s be the reason someone feels safe in the system, not retraumatized by it.
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#nurselife #nurse #nursehumor #nursesofinstagram #nurseproblems #rnlife #nursepractitioner #TraumaInformedCare #nurses #nursesrock #ernurse #nursingschool #nursestudent #nursesbelike #rn #futurenurse #nursememes #registerednurse #scrublife #lpn #ForensicNurse #travelnurse #studentnurse #futurern #nursinglife #nurseonduty #icunurse #nursestrong #nurseprobs #nursesunite
If there’s one thing nursing has taught me, it’s that this career is anything but one-size-fits-all. From bedside to OR, forensic nursing to travel nursing, education, aesthetics, leadership, and beyond… there are endless ways to grow, pivot, and reinvent yourself within this profession. That flexibility is one of the reasons I’ll always love nursing.
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And no matter the specialty, having scrubs that can actually keep up matters. I switched to @jaanuu scrubs and they’ve easily become my favorite scrubs I’ve worn in healthcare.
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Founded by a physician, the brand was created to bring together comfort, performance, durability, and modern style for healthcare workers working long shifts. Their fabrics are soft, flexible, moisture-wicking, and designed with real healthcare professionals in mind.
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Because let’s be honest… when you’re running for 12+ hours, comfort matters, but feeling confident in what you wear does too. 🖤
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My size: L (I like a little loose fit)
5'3
165lbs
Every untested kit is more than a number. It represents a survivor who endured one of the most vulnerable moments of their life, submitted to an invasive forensic exam, and trusted the system to care enough to act.
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For decades, thousands of kits across the United States sat on shelves untested. While survivors waited for answers, accountability, and closure, perpetrators often remained free.
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The backlog is not just a forensic issue, but a public safety issue, survivor advocacy issue, and a justice issue. Progress has been made, but the fight is far from over. Survivors deserve timely testing, trauma-informed care, accountability, and a system that treats SA with the urgency it deserves.
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We cannot keep asking survivors to come forward if the evidence they provide is ignored.
The dissolution of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) has left many forensic nurses shocked, frustrated, and grieving the loss of an organization that shaped our specialty for decades. According to reports and discussions within the forensic nursing community, financial instability, allegations of embezzlement/fraud, loss of grant funding, and organizational restructuring ultimately led to ENA assuming stewardship of IAFN’s education, resources, and membership programs.
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While ENA has stepped in to preserve many forensic nursing resources, a lot of forensic nurses are still searching for a professional organization dedicated specifically to forensic nursing as its primary mission.
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That’s where Academy of Forensic Nursing (AFN) comes in.
AFN is actively growing and continuing to advocate for forensic nursing through:
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• Continuing education with CE opportunities
• FREE live Wednesday webinars
• FREE forensic nursing podcasts
• A members-only resource hub
• Online member discussion boards
• Research, mentoring, and publishing opportunities
• Networking with forensic nursing experts
• Conference discounts
• Scholarships to EVAWI conferences
• Special interest groups
• Committee service opportunities
• Position statements and advocacy work
• Discounts on books, learning, and equipment
• Distinguished memberships recognizing leaders in forensic nursing
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Forensic nursing deserves a strong, transparent, specialty-focused community. Whether you’re a SANE nurse, death investigator, correctional nurse, legal nurse consultant, pediatric forensic nurse, or working in any part of this field staying connected and continuing education matters.
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Right now AFN is offering 20% OFF memberships with Discount Code AFN2026 through May 31st.
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This specialty is NOT disappearing. Forensic nurses are still here, still fighting for patients, and still advancing this profession forward. 🖤
As a nurse, comfort on long shifts is non-negotiable… but who said compression socks have to be boring?
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I’ve been loving the socks from Outway because they actually combine function with personality. Their designs are bold, fun, and original while still delivering serious performance.
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✔️ Lab-tested 20–25 mmHg compression
✔️ Moisture-wicking yarns
✔️ Breathable venting throughout the foot + calf
✔️ Seamless toe for all-day comfort
✔️ Perfect for long shifts, travel days, workouts, or everyday wear
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Whether you’re running between patients, catching flights, or just on your feet all day, these are the kind of compression socks that make you feel supported without sacrificing style. 🩺✈️
It’s National Nurse Appreciation Week! 💙🌟
This week, we’re recognizing the nurses who provide compassionate, trauma-informed care to survivors every day, including Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs).
In collaboration with @offtheclocknurse , we’re breaking down what a SANE is, the critical role they play after sexual violence, and why survivor-centered medical care matters.
SANEs are specially trained nurses who help survivors receive medical attention, emotional support, and forensic care in a safe and empowering environment. Their work can make a meaningful difference during one of the most difficult moments in a survivor’s life.
To all the nurses supporting survivors with empathy, expertise, and care, thank you. 💙
#NationalNursesWeek #StrengthToCare #NurseAppreciationWeek #SANE #SexualAssaultNurseExaminer
#SexualViolence can alter the trajectory of a survivor's life. One study suggests that approximately 34% of student survivors drop out of college (Mengo & Black, 2015).
NO survivor should have their life or education derailed, because someone made the choice to harm them.
This is why resources like @Callisto are so important.
Survivors deserve to have a safe way to process their experience, find out if their perpetrator harmed others, and explore their options...whether or not they report.
Thinking of and sending love to all those missing from graduation ceremonies this month 💙
To every nurse working days, nights, weekends, holidays, and the moments in between that no one sees… Happy Nurses Week.
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Nursing is more than medications, charting, and long shifts. It is holding pressure on trauma wounds, advocating when no one else will, comforting families during the worst moments of their lives, and showing up again the next day to do it all over again.
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Behind every “strong nurse” is a human being who has missed sleep, skipped meals, carried heartbreak home, and still found a way to care for others with compassion.
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To the nurses who feel exhausted, underappreciated, burned out, or unseen, what you do matters more than you know. Patients may forget the details of their hospital stay, but they never forget how a nurse made them feel.
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Here’s to the nurses holding it together with caffeine, dark humor, teamwork, and pure resilience. Thank you for everything you do.
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Happy Nurses Week to the backbone of healthcare.♥️
Everytime a high profile s.xual assault case is in the media, we hear everyone crying in surprise, “the criminal legal system failed them!”. But then, the wave of media dies down and the voices & calls for change disappear.
We need to catch on to the patterns & cycles and the reality that rates of SA haven’t declined in over 20 years. And perhaps most importantly, we need to be open to bold conversations about what pathways forward can look like.
We need to listen to the many advocates and survivors who have long been calling for more access to justice pathways like restorative and transformative justice. At the very least, we need to be curious about these concepts.
Want to learn more about alternative paths to justice? 📣 comment “guide” below and I’ll send you my resource guide ft. restorative & transformative justice orgs, books, docs 📕⬇️
Stop thanking nurses for their sacrifice.
Start demanding systems that stop requiring it.
Oh, and Happy Nurses Week
#nursesweek #nursesofinstagram #supportsanes #HospitalAccountability
