Forensic Nurse Examiner Program

This depends on the age of the patient. Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital can provide services to adult and adolescent patients who have been sexually assaulted. While Tuomey does not have 24/7 SANE coverage at this time, emergency room staff have been trained to collect evidence and provide appropriate care for any adult or adolescent sexual assault patient.

Children 12 and under may initially be screened and evaluated by a doctor at Tuomey. After the initial screening and evaluation, children 12 and under are required to be seen at Prisma Health Richland Hospital for SANE evaluation and services. Both law enforcement and the staff at Tuomey will guide you through this process.

It is best to come directly to the emergency room to be seen after you have been sexually assaulted. If possible, try not to take a shower, change clothes, use the bathroom, eat, drink or engage in consensual sex until you can be seen by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).

The sooner you are seen, the better chance you have of DNA being collected. Medications to prevent sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy work best when taken within 72 hours. However, SANE services can be provided up to 96 hours after the assault for adults and adolescents and up to 72 hours for children 12 and under. 

If the crime occurred in South Carolina, care provided by a SANE is paid for by the South Carolina Department of Crimes Victims Compensation (SCDCVC). 

A typical exam takes 2–4 hours to complete. The length of the exam depends on the extent of injuries found. 

Forensic nursing services are provided to all victims regardless of age, race, identified or biological gender, sexual orientation or religion. 

If you are an adult, you are not required to involve law enforcement in order to receive our services. If you do not wish to involve law enforcement, ask the SANE about anonymous reporting options. For those patients under the age of 18, a police report is required. Law enforcement involvement is not optional in these cases. 

In most cases, the SANE cannot verify whether a sexual assault has or has not occurred due to anatomy and other factors. A SANE also cannot conclusively determine if DNA is present or if a patient was drugged. DNA and toxicology testing is performed solely by the crime lab. 

The SANE will collect the evidence. The evidence kits are not processed by the SANE or the hospital. Once the evidence has been collected, the kit is sealed with evidence tape and signed over to law enforcement. The investigator for your case will work with the local crime lab to process your kit. Contact the investigator to find out the status of your kit. Please note, anonymous kits are not processed by the crime lab. An evidence kit cannot be tested if no report is made to law enforcement. 

SANE and FNE are often used interchangeably. Forensic Nurse Examiner is a broader term that encompasses all aspects of forensic nursing, beyond that of sexual assault. A forensic nurse can be specially trained in areas such as gunshot wounds, elder abuse, child abuse and much more. A SANE’s primary focus is that of sexual assault and abuse. Our Forensic Nurse Examiners are trained in sexual assault and abuse, interpersonal (domestic) violence and strangulation. 

Your child can be seen and medically cleared by a doctor at any hospital. If your child is medically cleared at a participating hospital and is 13 years of age or older, the SANE on call will come to the hospital where you are first seen.  Children 12 and under must be seen at Prisma Health Richland Hospital.