Registration now open for 9th annual SANE Training at USI

To prepare nurses to effectively care for victims of sexual assault and abuse, the University of Southern Indiana and Southwest Indiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC) are offering an Adult/Adolescent/Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Training Monday through Friday, March 4-8 in the Health Professions Center on campus. Prior to the five-day course, each participant is required to complete a 24-hour online self-study module. 

A SANE is a registered nurse who has received advanced education and training regarding sexual assault and forensic nursing. SANE-trained nurses must follow specific protocols in the care and examination of sexual assault victims to provide specialized health and forensic care to adult and adolescent patients.  SANEs complete a medicolegal examination, collect and preserve specimens, apply critical thinking skills and are considered expert witnesses in the judicial system.   

Financial assistance for this course may be available through the Indiana SANE Training Project, Southwest Indiana AHEC’s grant-funded initiative, which provides training opportunities for nurses and healthcare professionals throughout Indiana, especially in rural and underserved areas of the state. 

"We are in our ninth straight year of offering SANE training at USI,” said Jane Friona, Southwest Indiana AHEC Executive Director. "When we first started this in 2016, it had been many years since there had been SANE training anywhere in southern Indiana. Through the Indiana SANE Training Project, we work collaboratively with representatives from the various agencies that work with victims, including nurses, law enforcement, state crime lab technicians, advocates and prosecutors."  

This training will follow the 2018 International Association of Forensic Nurses guidelines for Adolescent/Adult/Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners. The USI program will award up to 66 contact hours to participants completing the self-study, five-day SANE Training and course evaluation. 

In support of improving patient care, the University of Southern Indiana is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.   

The deadline for the early registration rate is February 1. The registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, materials and continuing education credit. 

To register, visit USI.edu/sane. 

For more information, call toll-free 1-877-USI-HLTH (874-4584) or 812-461-5217, or email usi1nhpcert@usi.edu.  

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,003,375 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.