Vitalité will train more sexual assault nurse examiners to address shortage

Vitalité Health Network hopes to deal with an ongoing shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners by training more of them this winter.

It plans to offer a training course in February, and already has three nurses registered, said Sharon Smyth-Okana, senior vice-president of clinical programs and nursing.

"We are working in close collaboration with talent acquisition advisors to support the recruitment initiatives," she said in an emailed statement.

Unlike the Horizon Health Network, Vitalité does not intend to hire any full-time sexual assault nurse examiners, Smyth-Okana said.

Earlier this week, Horizon announced plans to hire full-time sexual assault nurse examiners, who will now to be known as forensic nurse examiners as part of a rebranding, instead of relying largely on full-time nurses being on-call in addition to their regular duties.

The change stems from an internal review triggered by a CBC report that a Fredericton rape victim was turned away from the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital because no one trained to perform the exam, commonly referred to as a rape kit, was available on staff or on call until the next day.

The woman, 26, whom CBC is not naming, said she was instructed to go home overnight, not shower or change, and to use the bathroom as little as possible to help preserve any evidence.

Vitalité currently has 13 nurses trained as sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) who work on call to provide the 24/7 service, each covering a huge territory, travelling as needed to meet with victims of sexual violence and intimate partner violence.

That's down from 40 nurses trained in the service in 2015, president and CEO France Desrxcosiers said last month, when fielding questions from MLAs about the health system, including the SANE program.

The COVID-19 pandemic complicated efforts to train more nurses to provide the service, according to Vitalité and Horizon officials.

Despite the dwindling numbers, Vitalité has managed to maintain the service with no gaps, Desrosiers said.

Two fully trained sexual assault nurse examiners are "coming back" to Vitalité, as of November, said Smyth-Okana.

She did not elaborate, but did say no Vitalité sexual assault nurse examiners resigned in the wake of comments made by Premier Blaine Higgs about the Fredericton case. Higgs described the incident as "unacceptable" and "reflective of a process guided by very poor decision-making and a lack of compassion," prompting at least four of Horizon's sexual assault nurse examiners to resign.

Vitalité has four unfilled SANE maternity/sick leave positions, Smyth-Okana said.