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OK, this one might be more for the ladies, but it wouldn't *have* to be....
As many of you know, I am a sexual assault nurse examiner. Responding to a recent post about the ER triggered my memory to post this suggestion I've had for awhile but keep forgetting about.
One of the most important roles in a sexual assault exam is fulfilled by the advocate. The advocate is a volunteer, usually a college student, whose job it is to come and sit with the patient, talk with them, take their mind off the fairly grisly exam that I'm doing, and make sure their follow-up plans are all put together. (Most of the aftermath is faxxing papers and making a couple of phone calls.) They are typically on call and get paged to the hospital if there's a case during their shift. They take 8-12 hours of call at a time and switch out if the case runs over their shift. They don't typically get called to court (in fact, I've never heard of it.) They are an immense help to us as well as the patients.
Something to consider- if you're interested, you could start by googling the name of your city + "rape crisis advocate." Actually they might even take guys- I have had a handful of male patients and wished that I had a male advocate for them, so who knows.... it's not for the faint of heart but probably looks great on an app.
As many of you know, I am a sexual assault nurse examiner. Responding to a recent post about the ER triggered my memory to post this suggestion I've had for awhile but keep forgetting about.
One of the most important roles in a sexual assault exam is fulfilled by the advocate. The advocate is a volunteer, usually a college student, whose job it is to come and sit with the patient, talk with them, take their mind off the fairly grisly exam that I'm doing, and make sure their follow-up plans are all put together. (Most of the aftermath is faxxing papers and making a couple of phone calls.) They are typically on call and get paged to the hospital if there's a case during their shift. They take 8-12 hours of call at a time and switch out if the case runs over their shift. They don't typically get called to court (in fact, I've never heard of it.) They are an immense help to us as well as the patients.
Something to consider- if you're interested, you could start by googling the name of your city + "rape crisis advocate." Actually they might even take guys- I have had a handful of male patients and wished that I had a male advocate for them, so who knows.... it's not for the faint of heart but probably looks great on an app.
