Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) are the “gold standard” for treatment of patients who report a sexual assault.  S.A.N.E. programs are nationally recognized as the most appropriate model for providing optimally effective, expert, impartial medico-legal examinations. 

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners remove a time-consuming responsibility from busy emergency physicians.  For this reason, they are very cost-efficient.  SANEs have many hours of additional training in their forensic specialty. which make them more qualified than most emergency physicians to conduct the medico-legal exam.  Because Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners are highly trained forensic specialists, errors in evidence collection are avoided or minimized.  Utilization of SANEs has led to more evidence being preserved for criminal prosecution.

S.A.N.E programs can decrease waiting time in the Emergency Department, helping to ensure that traumatized sexual assault victims are not forced to wait for hours in the Emergency Department prior to examination (resulting in poor patient care, loss of evidence, and increased trauma for victims).  

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners choose their forensic nursing specialty and are comfortable with their role.  Emergency Department staff who are not comfortable working with victims of crime or becoming involved in the legal process are not forced to become involved with these cases. 

Because SANEs are trained to serve as forensic experts, NOT advocates for those reporting sexual assault, their work may serve to assist both prosecution and defense elements of our criminal justice system.  Evidence collected by SANEs can be used to defend the innocent from false accusations.  SANE examinations can also help to provide the concrete physical evidence needed for prosecution of the guilty.

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners are trained to provide effective, clear expert witness testimony in criminal cases. 

SANE programs work closely with crisis counseling programs to ensure appropriate and ethical patient care.  When a crisis counselor is available to meet the emotional needs of the patient, the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner is able to focus upon and maintain her role as an impartial collector and documenter of forensic evidence.