NCJ Number
213827
Date Published
June 2006
Length
32 pages
Annotation
These National Training Standards for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiners include recommendations for training objectives and topics that will enable an examiner to implement the recommendations; this publication is a companion for a National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations, which was released in September 2004.
Abstract
These training standards provide a framework for the specialized education of health care providers who choose to practice as sexual assault forensic examiners (SAFEs). Eight recommendations pertain to the development, revision, coordination, and/or delivery of training programs for SAFEs. The remaining recommendations address topics to be covered in classroom and clinical practice. Classroom topics are divided into three categories: overarching issues, operational issues, and the examination process. Overarching issues to be covered in training are the coordinated team approach, victim-centered care, informed consent, confidentiality, reporting to police, and payment for the examination under the Violence Against Women Act. Training topics related to operations address the responsibilities of SAFEs facilities for examinations, equipment and supplies, the sexual assault evidence collection kit, timing considerations for evidence collection and patient care, and evidence integrity. Eleven topics are recommended for classroom training in the examination process. They range from the initial contact to the SAFEs court appearances, and include triage and intake, documentation, the medical forensic history, photography, evidence-collection procedures, exam procedures, and evaluation for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection. Recommendations for clinical practice are intended to supplement classroom training, as they pertain to the application of the information and practice skills learned in the classroom.