Application & Requirements

• Medicine and Allied Occupations – Nursing Practice Act
  § 90-171.38. - Standards of nursing programs.
  § 90-171.44. - Prohibited acts.
  Insurance - General Regulations
  § 58-50-25. - Nurses' services.
• Rules
• SANE FAQ

Requirements

North Carolina Nurses Completing North Carolina SANE Training:

North Carolina Registered Nurses who wish to practice as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) in North Carolina are required to successfully complete:

• a SANE education/training program composed of 40 didactic hours, and
• a minimum of 16 clinical practice hours, performing sexual assault examinations with evidence collection and documentation 

SANE students must complete three medical forensic sexual assault examinations during the clinical portion of their SANE education. These examinations must include evidence collection using a sexual assault evidence collection kit (SAEKI).

If unable to complete three acute medical forensic sexual assault exams during their clinical training period, the SANE student may:

• Complete the first SANE medical forensic examination using simulation.  
• Complete the final two medical forensic exams through the use of live models.

If SANE students choose to complete the three exams via simulation and mock exams with live models, these SANE students must collaborate and have oversight by an experienced SANE, preferably a SANE-A or SANE-P, or a medical provider with experience in completing the medical forensic exam (physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) until they have met the requirement of performing three medical forensic sexual assault examinations on acute patients.

A certificate of completion (not certification) is issued by the program and must be retained by the SANE as evidence of meeting education and clinical practice requirements. Education/training must be based on the national recommendations of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN).

Voluntary SANE Certification, if desired, can be obtained through IAFN’s Commission for Forensic Nursing Certification which currently offers professional credentials as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Adult/Adolescent (SANE-A®) or Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Pediatric (SANE-P®).

SANE Nurses Out of Practice for Two or More Years or Completion of an Out-of-State Online SANE Training:

SANE nurses who have not practiced for two or more years or completed an out-of-state online SANE training, must complete a minimum of 24-hours of SANE training. The training must be based on the national recommendations of the IAFN and include North Carolina specific SANE practices, such as the evidence collection kit, current state forensic practices, and North Carolina law and rules.

SANE Nurses Practicing in Another State and Relocating to North Carolina:

Experienced SANE registered nurses, currently licensed in North Carolina, who have completed SANE training and practiced in another state within the past two years or less must:

• Complete an 8-hour curriculum focusing on North Carolina specific SANE practices, such as the evidence collection kit, current state forensic practices, and North Carolina law and rules.

Approved North Carolina programs are listed under Program Listings above