Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Expert Witness

Summary

RN since 1990, with instructional, case management/utilization review, and clinical experience in Inpatient Pediatrics, Medical-Surgical, Coronary/Critical Care, Pediatric ICU, Triage/Telephonic Advice, Case Management/UR, High-Tech/Infusion, and Ambulatory care in hospital, home, and office settings IV/Phlebotomy, Chemotherapy, EKG/Dysrhythmia, SANE, NALS/PALS (inactive), and BCLS certifications; Maryland and Washington, DC licensure

Experience

3/00 to Present
Clinical Coordinator, Sexual/Physical Abuse Clinic – Washington, DC

• Manage clinical operations of an outpatient clinic caring for infant through 18-year-old clients who have suffered suspected/actual cases of physical and/or sexual assault and abuse; serve as liaison between DHS, U. S. Attorneys’ office, police departments, and pediatricians/specialists
• Perform phone triage/screening, perform initial and follow-up assessments of referred clients, assist with medical examinations/treatments, and provide recommendations for further services
• Serve as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Coordinator as well as trainer and pediatric certifier; create monthly on-call schedule for up to five other SANE nurses
• Submit files to Medical Director for Quality Assurance review
• Prepare and participate in courtroom as expert witness as needed

1/07-Present
Legal Nurse Consulting –   Springdale, MD

• Evaluate, analyze and render informed opinions on the delivery of health care and the resulting outcomes.
• Assists in obtaining medical records and identifying missing records
• Identifies standards of care, causation and damage issues. Helps determine the merits of a case
• Screens for record tampering
• Prepares chronologies of medical events and correlates them to the allegations
• Conducts research and summarizes medical literature

12/09 to 8/10 Interim Director Adult SANE Program – Washington, DC

• Manages the medical forensic examination program for sexual assault victims that is anchored at Washington Hospital Center. Trains and supervises SANE nurses, coordinates with the Sexual Assault Unit at the Metropolitan police Department, the Parks police and Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Unit at the DC US Attorney’s office around evidence collection, delivery and testimony and assists with program planning and development.
• Participate in clinical supervision and staff education peer review
• Conduct daily case review of all newly created patient records from previous shifts.
• Conduct daily case review of all newly created SANE patient records from previous shifts.
• Participate in clinical supervision and SANE staff education peer review
• Prepare and participate in courtroom as expert witness as needed
• Contribute to grant-writing projects, including resumes/credentialing, and contributing SANE sections to quarterly/annual report deliverables
• Serve as Member, Process Improvement Committee, determining indicators, auditing records to gather data, and recommending policy changes
• Serve as member of JCAHO Task-Assessment of Patients survey chapter preparation committee, reviewing policies and documentation on alleged child abuse

6/98 to 3/00    Staff RN, Pediatric Ambulatory – Children’s Medical Care Center, Washington, DC

• Served as Staff RN in a 4-physician and 2-physician-assistant pediatric practice; performed phone/walk-in triage, screened and scheduled patients, assessed and admitted patients, obtained histories, performed phlebotomy/ obtained labwork, used computers to retrieve patient/insurance data, created initial charting, assisted with examinations and medical procedures, and provided extensive patient-family education and referrals to specialty care (including hospital admissions, homecare placement, pharmacists, and DME vendors)
• Interacted with insurers to verify coverage’s and obtain pre-certifications, applied ICD-9/CPT coding to ensure reimbursement
• Coordinated operations of the Immunization Injection Room

5/96 to 4/98    Utilization Management/Case Manager – MAMSI Health Plan, Rockville, MD

• Performed on-site inpatient concurrent and retrospective review at four acute care hospital sites, reviewing medical records to apply Milliman & Robertson guidelines to verify appropriateness of admission and level of care/length of stay; performed on-going monitoring of up to 60 cases to optimize outcomes, contain costs, and expedite discharge planning, including determining aftercare needs and coordinating placement
• Served as Member, Pre-Term Delivery Infant Care Committee, identifying cases for review and coordinating centralized care for premature infants

1/95 to 5/96     Advice Nurse – Kaiser Permanente, Camp Springs, MD

• Screened telephone calls from members on specific symptoms and provide advice according to health system protocols, including providing referrals to emergency care; referred complicated cases to medical directors

1/94 to 4/98    High-Tech/IV Therapy RN – INOVA Home Infusion, Springfield, VA

• Served as Primary Nurse, visiting homebound pediatric and adult patients with cardiac, oncology, COPD, diabetes, AIDS, and Lyme’s/infectious disease, and conditions requiring IV initiation, central line/feeding tube maintenance, pump programming, and venous access troubleshooting (including serving as an on-call resource for staff and families)
• Gained proficiency with chemotherapeutic agents, IVIgG, antibiotics, TPN, hydration, PCA/pain and symptom management, pump programming, and other intravenous and related high-tech care
• Assessed patients and opened cases, created care plans/charts for JCAHO compliance, and worked with multidisciplinary teams to develop/update goals

7/90 to 1/95     Staff RN/Medical Officer – U. S. Army, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC Staff RN/Captain, Critical Care (6/93 to 1/95)

• Served as Primary RN in Medical ICU, Coronary Care Unit, and Pediatric ICU (rotating to Surgical ICU and Neonatal ICU)
• Cared for adult and pediatric patients with cardiac/MI/PTCA, AIDS, TB, oncology/hematology, COPD/asthma, CVA/neuro/seizure disorder, diabetes, ESRD, GI bleed, sepsis, and multiorgan dysfunctional syndrome
• Provided or assisted with vents, trachs, CVVH, PCA, chemotherapy, isolation, hemodynamic, arrest codes, titrations
• Staff RN/Lieutenant, Pediatrics/Medical-Surgical (7/90 to 6/93)
• Cared for infant through adolescent patients with all acute and chronic medical and post-op conditions requiring ostomy wound care, pressure ulcer prevention/ care, isolation, chemotherapy/pain management
• Served as Team Leader/Charge Nurse
• e Nurse, scheduling and supervising staff members, and resolving staffing and clinical problems
• Served as Preceptor, orienting Nursing Students and newly hired RNs
• Reviewed/updated policies and procedures as regulations changed or new technologies/treatments arose

Affiliations and Community Activities

• Member, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
• Member, International Association of Forensic Nursing
• Member, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
• Member, American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants
• Member, Coalition on Strengthening the Child Protection Safety     Net (11/04 to 10/05)
• Member, Coalition on Child-Victim Model Strategic Planning     Project (1/06 to 6/06)
• Planner, Conference on Pediatric and Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse – Examiners, held at Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC

Education

5/07    Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA

• Received MSN degree in Forensic Nursing

4/00    Calvert Hospital, Washington, DC

• Completed 9-day training and certification as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE); serve as an on-going SANE trainer/pediatric certifier

8/93 to 12/93    U. S. Army Nurse Corps, Washington, DC

• Completed 16-week course in Critical Care

5/91 to 9/91    U. S. Army Nurse Corps, Honolulu, HI

• Completed 16-week course in Pediatric Care

5/90 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

• Received BSN degree

Presentations

Available Upon Request