Categories
DV/IPV Sexual Assault

Since Last We Spoke, 11-30-15

Another Monday post, another weekend spent reading about a senseless mass shooting in this country. It’s beyond appalling, and when it targets a women’s health clinic it feels all the more personal. There’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said here in countless other posts; what was an otherwise lovely and peaceful Thanksgiving holiday was quickly overshadowed by incomprehensible violence and some significantly tone deaf (or outright unreal) political responses. What else can I say this morning but here’s what I’ve been reading since last we spoke:

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Uncategorized

Happy Thanksgiving!

16041983709_5be99d2224_mI’m in the 216 this week spending time with the girl-child, little brother and his family, and my folks, stealing myself (happily) for the food onslaught that is to come. Thanksgiving is my family’s main holiday of the year, since we scatter for Hanukkah and Christmas. We are a serious cooking family, which means that starting today, the two ovens in my parents’ kitchen will be on overdrive. My father is not to be trifled with when it comes to the turkey–this year’s is a 27 lb beast. And for those of you who know Sasha, she is as serious about baking pies as she is about the law (this one is a favorite at our table).

Categories
DV/IPV Sexual Assault

Gender-Based Violence, Health, and HIV

On World AIDS Day, Futures Without Violence is hosting a webinar, Gender-Based Violence, Health, and HIV. It will be held December 1st from 4 to 5: 30pm ET. Click through for all of the details:

Categories
Child Abuse Sexual Assault

Since Last We Spoke 11-23-15

Did anyone else watch The Hunting Ground last night on CNN? I had my twitter feed open while we watched, which was at time horrifying (nothing brings out the worst in the twittersphere like the intersection of football and rape reports) and at times deeply comforting, as I saw friends, real and virtual, popping up from all over the country. If you haven’t yet seen it, you can find future showings here. Definitely worth the time, although I felt bone-weary at the end of it; so many of the same stories we hear from patients day after day. Disastrous disclosures, frequent lack of support, and confusion about options. Much work still to do, my friends.

I want to extend a quick welcome to all of FHO’s new subscribers. Last week saw the largest increase in subscribers since we started the site in 2009. Pretty happy to have you join our (much less) small  but mighty band of forensic healthcare providers and associated colleagues from law enforcement and the legal community, victim advocacy, and a variety of other fascinating professions who come together each week at the intersection of healthcare and the law. So pleased you found us.

It’s a short week here in the US with the Thanksgiving holiday, so postings will be light. Look for a more robust schedule next week–perhaps even our annual staff gift guide, who knows? Really anything could happen, hard to tell. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been reading since last we spoke:

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Articles of Note Child Abuse DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect Sexual Assault

Articles of Note: November 2015 Edition

Time once again for Articles of Note, my walk through the recent peer-reviewed literature. While not exhaustive, it’s an overview of the articles that have been published in the last 4-6 weeks that seem most relevant to my practice (the operative words being my practice). FHO readership has grown *so much* in just the last 6 months that it’s getting harder and harder to anticipate relevance for this broadly focused and multidisciplinary audience (not a complaint).  So I encourage you to use this list as a jumping off point–follow the footnotes, check out the tables of contents for these journal editions, see what else is out there that speaks to the work that you do. Click through for the more printer-friendly, sharable PDF and the Word doc with active hyperlinks:

Categories
Elder Abuse/Neglect

Worthwhile Read: Elder Abuse in NEJM

The current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine has a free full-text article on elder abuse that’s worth reading and sharing with your team and colleagues in the ED, ICU, etc. Although obviously clinically focused it’s one to bring to your next multidisciplinary meeting, as well.

Categories
DV/IPV

What Paramedics Need To Know About Strangulation

While strangulation offerings aren’t new to FHO, ones geared toward paramedics certainly are. The Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention has one coming up November 23rd at 1pm ET, though, so it’s a great opportunity to share with colleagues in your communities.  Click through for the details:

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Uncategorized

Since Last we Spoke 11-16-15

I was stuck in DC rush hour traffic when the horror in Paris was becoming tragically clear to us here in the US. And it felt like some kind of terrible deja vu, because only hours earlier, as I picked my way across the DC metro area to get to the speaking gig that would have me stuck in said traffic later, I listened to news of the bombings in Lebanon that took place the day before. FHO has subscribers in both France and Lebanon; and so what is an already small world feels all the more tiny, and I can only hope you are safe. That we all can, in fact, be safe.

Here’s what I’ve been reading since last we spoke:

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Uncategorized

What Credentials Can I List After My Name?

At least once a month I get a question about credentials and listing initials after one’s name. It usually comes down to this: if I’ve taken a SANE course, can I use SANE (or sometimes FNE) after my name? And the short answer is: No. If all you have done is take the course, you cannot just add those initials after your name upon completion.

Categories
Sexual Assault

Online Pediatric (and Adult) SANE Training

I generally limit educational opportunities on FHO to free and low-cost offerings. This post isn’t going to meet that criteria. However, enough of you regularly email me asking about SANE training opportunities–both adult and pediatric–that I am pleased to be able to share that IAFN now has both adult/adolescent and the brand new pediatric SANE online courses available.

Categories
DV/IPV

How the Affordable Care Act Can Help Patients Experiencing Domestic Violence

Futures Without Violence has an upcoming webinar that is a must for any of us (US-based folks) working with patients experiencing domestic violence. Open Enrollment:How the Affordable Care Act Can Help Patients Experiencing Domestic and Interpersonal Violence will be held November 19th at 2pm ET. This is probably a significant knowledge deficit for many of us, and how much would patients benefit from having us all be able to speak just a little more cogently on this topic? It’s great if you can refer patients to agency advocates or social workers (or billing departments) for assistance with this–but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to also be able to answer questions or provide basic information during the patient encounter, as well? Click through for details about the session:

Categories
DV/IPV Sexual Assault

Since Last We Spoke, Forensic Nurses Week 2015

FNWeek300x250Happy Forensic Nurses Week to all of us! It feels like a particularly busy one, what with multiple deadlines looming. I’d love to hear how folks are commemorating the week, though–especially if there are some creative celebrations in the works. Don’t have anything planned yet? There’s still time–IAFN has a planning guide (PDF) to help you out.

It was a Reserve weekend in our household, which meant a work weekend for me. I procrastinated a bit, though, on the interwebs. Here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:

Categories
Sexual Assault

SART Playlist

I was perusing my usual sites, and I noticed that over at SAFEta Kim posted the SART playlist on NSVRC’s Youtube channel, which I thought I would also share over here. There’s some good stuff on it, particularly if you’re working out issues around protocol development, leadership issues, or untested kits. It has also has Rebecca Campbell’s 3-part Neurobiology of Trauma series, which is always popular. Think continuing education or facilitated discussion opportunities…

Categories
DV/IPV

Implementing Routine Intimate Partner Violence Screening in a Primary Care Setting

The National LGBT Health Education Center has an upcoming webinar, Implementing Routine Intimate Partner Violence Screening in a Primary Care Setting. The session will be held November 19th at 1pm ET. Click through for details:

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Uncategorized

Fear of Public Speaking

I wanted to close the loop on an issue that we discussed during the session Sasha and I did on public speaking in Orlando. I mentioned the excellent Mark Twain quote, “There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous. 2. Liars.” Fear of public speaking is exceptionally common, but it cannot be an excuse. The reality is that to some extent or another, we have to get past it in our profession, because at a minimum, court testimony is public speaking. You can’t do this work without flexing some public speaking muscle.

Categories
Sexual Assault

Since Last We Spoke 11-2-15

It was so fantastic to see all of you in Orlando. Thanks to all of the FHO readers who came and introduced themselves to me at the conference. It really is my favorite part. And welcome to all of the new subscribers (wow, so many of you!). Don’t forget to look for the Feedburner link to verify your email so you can activate your subscription. It may be in your spam folder, so be sure to check there if you don’t see it in your inbox.

Curious what folks thought of this year’s conference. I thought IAFN put on a pretty terrific program (although as with all conferences, there were some definite ups and downs in terms of the quality of the actual presentations in the breakouts). It was a slog of a week for me, and I didn’t make it back home until late last night. Not much time for reading, but a few things did manage to catch my eye. Here’s what I’ve been reading since last we spoke: