HRSA Continuance Grant Empowers TAMIU-SANE Program
A federal grant dedicated to expanding the number of nurses who are certified as critically needed Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) has received a $1.3 million continuance to empower its expanded scope and reach.
Delivered by Texas A&M International University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA) grant was initially funded in 2018, explained principal investigator and dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences’ Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing, Dr. Marivic Torregosa.
“This HRSA grant continuance allows us to expand on our successful legacy with the program, first funded in 2018. To date, we’ve certified 35 local nurses as SANE for adults and adolescents CA-SANEs. We’ll be recertifying them and expanding to include 36 SANE with a pediatric specialty or CP-SANEs. Sadly, there continues to be a critical need for adult, adolescent, and pediatric SANE Nurses in our region and beyond,” Dr. Torregosa explained.
The grant continuance provides crucial financial support for stipends for training and travel to clinical sites, hires SANE instructors and model’s/patient actors, and helps fund sites and preceptors for clinical placements. It also pays tuition for online pediatric courses and helps purchase needed equipment for training, she said.
Dr. Torregosa said that in order to further extend the grant’s focus on training and certifying more SANE nurses, the program has transitioned to an online delivery. Enrollment is underway.
“Nurses are incredibly busy professionals who are eager to advance their credentials, develop specialties and enhance their service. But balancing a hectic work and life schedule can often make pursuing these opportunities a real challenge. Delivering these courses online means that busy professionals can access the courses immediately and on their schedule
“Helping us to facilitate this is Academic Partnerships (AP), a leading online facilitator in the U.S. Based in Dallas, AP is a partner to more than 50 universities across the country, primarily regional public universities, helping those institutions expand access to top-quality, affordable and workforce-relevant education,” Torregosa noted.
AP chief product officer, alternative credentials, Jennifer L. Scott, said AP is honored to be a part of the program offering with TAMIU.
“At AP, we’re excited to help TAMIU expand their high-quality professional courses to healthcare professionals,” said Jennifer L. Scott, AP’s chief product officer, alternative credentials, “Nurses and other healthcare professionals provide such a service to their communities. It’s an honor to help them expand their skills to support their work throughout Texas and beyond.”
Torregosa concurred and said the grant’s continuance addresses an unfortunately growing need for both CA-SANEs and CP-SANE nurses.
“This is a critical issue here and nationwide. Unfortunately, in instances of sexual assault, hospitals and law enforcement agencies are usually hard-pressed to find locally available SANE nurses. They are critical in preserving evidence and helping survivors at a most vulnerable time in their lives. If SANE examiners are not readily available, there are legal,medical, and social implications that rapidly come into play,” she noted.
Torregosa said the grant’s continuance is deeply satisfying, especially when she recalls the stunning need when the SANE program first began at TAMIU.
“When we first began this program in 2018, there was only one practicing certified SANE nurse in Laredo. Due to long waiting times, sexual assault victims were often transferred to facilities in Mission and Edinburg, each over 150 miles away. It’s deeply satisfying to know that we have made such a profound difference and that our community and others are much better served today…and will be tomorrow,” she concluded.
TAMIU’s “Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (CA-SANE) Didactic Course” for the State of Texas is designed to provide registered nurses/advanced practice registered nurses with specialized education in medical forensic care and assessment of adolescent or adult patients who have experienced sexual assault or abuse. It is approved by the Texas Office of the Attorney General and is the first component of certification as a SANE provider. Additional information is online.
For more information on enrolling in the TAMIU-SANE Program, please email maria.benavides@tamiu.edu, or call 956.326.2575.
For other course options available for nurses visit www.tamiu.edu/ce, email ce@tamiu.edu, or call the University’s Office of Continuing Education at 956.326.3068.
