Introduction: There are increasing opportunities for nurses to become sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs). In rural areas far from established SANE programs, nurses considering becoming SANEs have few opportunities to talk with or observe experienced SANEs to explore the role and determine if they are well suited to forensic and victim service work. The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive qualitative research project was to learn what the first year in practice was like for members of a new semi-rural SANE team in terms of role transition and role-specific stress.
Methods: Interviews were conducted with 6 members of a SANE team at 3 time points during their first year in that role.
Results: Expertise these nurses brought from their backgrounds as emergency nurses, women's health nurses, and intensive care nurses transferred well and eased their adaptation to the SANE role in a process more akin to "role expansion" than "role transition." They identified comfort working with clients in crisis, acting on their clinical judgment, implementing complex protocols, and adding new skills to their regular nursing role as helpful in their transition to the SANE role. Themes about the first year included the contribution of prior experiences observing or assisting with examinations, concerns that diminished over time, getting used to being on call, using their usual coping, getting past the first examination, and finding satisfaction.
Discussion: Further research with larger samples could confirm what nurse characteristics, including prior experience or elements of expertise, facilitate success and ease in the SANE role.