Advanced nursing education - sexual assault nurse examiners program - sexual assault remains a public health and safety issue nationwide

On average, there are over 400,000 sexual assaults that occur each year in the united states. According to the latest data, in 2023, close to 2,000 individuals were victim to sexual assault and rape in the state of alabama. According to the centers for disease control and prevention, approximately one in three women and one in four men have or will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) are key in providing professional, comprehensive and reliable care to survivors of sexual assault. Their roles include forensic exams, holistic care and referrals to other specialists as needed. SANE nurse care leads to increased uptake in recommended treatments following sexual violence as well as increased positive outcomes in seeking legal action due to their professional training. Although SANE nurses are vital to holistic care and increased positive outcomes for survivors of sexual assault, there is a shortage of sanes across the united states. These shortages are even more pronounced in rural and underserved communities. Barriers including cost of training and number of hours for training prevent many nurses from seeking certification in the role. The overarching purpose of this project is to increase the supply, distribution and quality of the sexual assault nurse examiner(SANE) workforce in west central alabama, a highly rural region of the state. This project aims to fulfill the following goals including increasing the number of trained and certified SANE nurses, increasing the number of available SANE trainings, expanding access to SANE examinations in rural west central alabama and fostering an environment that supports SANE training, practice and retention. The project team will work with a local sexual assault crisis center to recruit diverse trainees planning to work in the state of alabama, particularly in rural settings. Didactic, simul ation and clinical training will be provided to prepare the trainee for certification. Curriculum delivered to trainees will be enhanced with additional content focused on health equity, social determinants of health and rural health. Mentoring and continuing education support will be provided to keep trainees and newly certified sanes engaged with sexual assault work and retained in the role. Continuous evaluation and quality improvement will take place to ensure project goals are met. Trainees will be followed by the team at least one year after certification completion to measure impact on the workforce. Academic-community partnerships will be enhanced and built in order to increase and expand access to SANE services in rural and underserved areas in west central alabama. These partnerships will not only provide increased access to patients, they will increase practice sites for trainees and sanes. By the end of the project period over three years, 20 SANE nurses will be trained and certified and 90% of them will be retained in the role. In addition, at least three new academic-community partnerships will be formed by the end of the project period.