So excited for this–the SANE Program Development and Operation Guide is now available. Funded by the Office of Victims of Crime, the update of this document was spearheaded by Susan Chasson, and is a fantastic resource for everyone working to start or sustain SANE programs. Can’t wait to work my way through it.
The Tribal Forensic Healthcare project is offering the pediatric sexual assault nurse examiner course online. Registration is free to providers from IHS, Tribal, and Urban Indian health care facilities. Providers from referral facilities that serve American Indian or Alaska Native victims of sexual abuse are also eligible to attend at no cost. If you’ve been hoping to expand your existing practice to peds, this is a great opportunity.
Greetings from Minot, ND, where it is a lovely and very civilized 73 degrees outside. I traveled and worked all weekend, so I haven’t had much time to read as of late, but a few things caught my eye as I loitered in airports en route. Here’s what I’ve been reading since last we spoke:
I love when I find offerings that I don’t frequently see. The Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence has a 2-part series coming up on DV and pregnancy, the first of which is Impact of Domestic Violence on Healthy Births. The session will be held September 13th at 10am PT. Click through for details:
We need to have a talk about evidence-based practice. This is a term that gets tossed around frequently, but understanding exactly what constitutes evidence-based practice (EBP) may leave folks feeling a bit hazy. This becomes a problem for both patient care (e.g. changing practice based on one article or lecture at a conference) AND testimony (e.g. discussing that term in court without having a handle on it’s actual meaning). It’s okay if you aren’t 100% clear on what EBP is as it pertains to nursing, but embrace this as an opportunity to start learning more.
Have you read the new GAO report that was released a few weeks ago about sexual violence data? It’s a pretty interesting read, looking at some of the limitations of and/or problems with data collection efforts. I’ll be working my way through the full report (PDF) as I hang out in airports this week. Worth your time for sure.
Wow, I’ve missed you guys. Apologies for disappearing, but trial weeks are like that, where a short day is only 12 hours. I’m heading to Maxwell AFB tomorrow for a few days, then on to Minot AFB (after 2 weeks with the Navy). This month has been alternating between teaching and court–I barely recognize my wife. No real break in sight, which is not a complaint, but a status update for sure. Also can I fill you in on a little secret? In the midst of all this chaos, I’m working on a full FHO redesign, so when you don’t see me here, I’m behind the scenes, tinkering with the guts of this thing. I cannot wait to show you. In the meantime, shall we get to today’s business? Because I’ve run across some fascinating things online since last we spoke:
I’ve been unintentionally absent from FHO this week, and that trend probably won’t let up before the weekend, but I couldn’t resist giving everyone something to ponder. So how about this amazing tweet in response to the news that 4 American swimmers appear to have fabricated an armed robbery in Brazil:
Just returned from teaching in Newport, RI, and I’m now happily home for 2 whole weeks. Of course, I have a trial next week, and my kiddo heads back to CLE for school this weekend, but between now and then my folks will be here, and I will squeeze out every minute I can with the girl child. There’s plenty to capture the attention online, but we’ve been streaming Olympic coverage during most of our free time. Still, a few things have caught my attention since last we spoke:
BWJP has a webinar coming up, Sexual Assault by Law Enforcement. It looks fascinating and if I weren’t in trial that day, I would definitely register (hopefully it’ll be archived). It will be held August 18th at 1pm CT. There is a cap on registration, so I encourage you to register early if it’s of interest to you. Click through for details:
The draft of the document, National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits: A Multidisciplinary Approach is now open for a 30-day public comment period. This is a project many of us have worked on, within forensic nursing and collaborating disciplines. If you would like to review it and provide comment, click through for details:
More reading for everyone this morning: NSVRC has just published their latest research translation, Key Findings on Sexual Violence from the Global Status Report on Violence Prevention 2014 (PDF). They describe it as “a summary of key findings on sexual violence as a component of interpersonal violence that is the wider focus of the Global Status Report on Violence Prevention 2014. People working to end sexual violence can use these findings to inform data collection, prevention planning and evaluation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships.” Bottom line: if you’re interested in participating in or creating prevention initiatives, nice to know what works. It’s chewy, but a worthwhile read, nonetheless.
Sorry I missed you all yesterday, but it simply got away from me. I’m heading to Ft. Drum tomorrow, so it should be a fun week. One of the things I will be reading on the plane is a new series from the Women’s Refugee Commission on gender-based violence: Identifying and Responding to Urban Refugees’ Risks of Gender-Based Violence. There are multiple papers for review, including those addressing LGBTI refugees and those with disabilities. Click through for more information: