Academy of Forensic Nursing - Bell Work Talks

Kathy Bell
  • 4.6 (11)
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Podcast by Kathy Bell

  1. Episode 74: Sexual assault survivor experiences with police

    May 19

    Episode 74: Sexual assault survivor experiences with police

    In this Bell Work Talk, Ben McLean discusses results from the first large scale prospective study evaluating sexual assault survivor experiences with the police. Survivors in our study received SANE care in one of 12 sites across the country. Survivor experiences with police were assessed at 6 weeks. We found that roughly ¾ of survivors were interested in speaking with the police, most survivors spoke with the police (65%), and nearly 90% of survivors were satisfied overall by how the police treated them. Latinas and survivors with lower income were less likely to speak with police, while survivors with greater posttraumatic stress or previous trauma reported worse experiences with the police. We also report qualitative comments by survivors of their experiences with the police and propose a trauma informed mnemonic for police to keep in mind when interacting with survivors. Ben McLean is a current 4th year medical student at UNC school of medicine. Ben has researched sexual assault outcomes through the Better Tomorrow Network for the past 10 years. In addition to investigating sexual assault survivor experiences with police, he has been a co-author on a manuscript evaluating sexual assault survivor health care utilization. He has also conducted research related to classifying gene and genetic variant-disease relationships through a lab at UNC. He previously has worked as an EMT in NC, Vermont, and New Hampshire. He currently is working on a manuscript as first author evaluating sexual assault outcomes among Latina sexual assault survivors in the year after sexual assault. Resources: https://www.med.unc.edu/itr/better-tomorrow-network/ https://www.med.unc.edu/itr/better-tomorrow-network/our-research/publications/ Survey: We’d really like to learn more about what you think of the podcast, and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. https://forms.gle/dos4a11PEmCgth7Z8

    17 min
  2. Episode 73: Forensic Nursing & Workplace Violence Response

    Mar 31

    Episode 73: Forensic Nursing & Workplace Violence Response

    In this Bell Work Talks, Kalen Knight discusses how the hospital-based forensic nurse examiner program he works for incorporated response to workplace violence events into their services, including a program centered on responding to employees assaulted by patients and/or visitors while performing their duties, as well as initiating an employee assistance program aimed at helping colleagues experiencing IPV/DV in their personal lives with safety planning while at work and safely away from their abuser. Kalen Knight currently works in State Government, assisting with death investigations and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases within his State. Additionally, he is a practicing SANE-A at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska as well as a Medicolegal Death Investigator in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Kalen earned his Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Master of Business Administration from Nebraska Wesleyan University, and his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Clarkson College. He has his Certification in Emergency Nursing, certification as an Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, and is a certified Diplomat of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. Kalen's nursing background includes emergency department, trauma, infectious disease, biocontainment/quarantine, nursing clinical education, and forensic nursing. Prior to Kalen’s transition to government work, Kalen coordinated a hospital-based Forensic Nurse Examiner Program and supervised a team of 30 Forensic Nurse Examiners who responded to cases of Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault, Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence, Human Trafficking, and Elder Abuse. The team provided in-person response to two metropolitan hospitals, as well as telehealth response to two rural hospitals. During Kalen’s tenure, he added two new services to the program: 1) Forensic nursing response to employees of the health systems physically or sexually assaulted by patients and/or visitors, and 2) An employee assistance program, called SOAR, that provided workplace safety planning and coordination of person safety planning for employees experiencing DV/IPV in their personal lives and needing a safe place away from their abuser for safety planning. Resources: There is no need to start from scratch! If listeners have interest in starting similar programs, please reach out to Kalen Knight and he is willing to share resources! Kalen can be contacted at kalen.knight@nebraska.gov. Survey: We’d really like to learn more about what you think of the podcast, and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. https://forms.gle/dos4a11PEmCgth7Z8

    18 min
  3. Episode 72: The Hidden Link: What Forensic Nurses Need to Know About Porn-Driven Harm

    Mar 2

    Episode 72: The Hidden Link: What Forensic Nurses Need to Know About Porn-Driven Harm

    In this Bell Work Talk, we examine emerging trends linking online pornography exposure to a rise in problematic sexual behaviors among youth, including child-on-child sexual assault, strangulation, and escalating sexual violence. We will explore how increasingly aggressive and accessible online content is shaping sexual scripts and contributing to vulnerabilities around online exploitation. Through a forensic and trauma-informed lens, this podcast highlights clinical considerations that support assessing patients for porn exposure and exploitation and brings hope for healing. Heidi Olson, RN, MSN, CPN, SANE-P is a Certified Pediatric Nurse and Certified Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), she is also the Founder and President of Paradigm Shift Training and Consulting, which equips healthcare workers to be able to identify victims of human trafficking and exploitation. Heidi previously managed a forensic program in Kansas City where she performed/reviewed over 1,500 pediatric forensic exams and started her groundbreaking work in sounding the alarm about the role of pornography influencing child-on-child sexual assault. Heidi is a clinical consultant for Culture Reframed and they recently published resources for Child Advocacy Centers related to childhood pornography exposure. Heidi has testified in favor of bills that have been passed into law, has testified in a briefing on Capitol Hill and the United Nations. Most recently Heidi wrote an amicus brief for the U.S. Supreme Court, which ended up ruling in favor of protecting children from online pornography. Over the last few years, Heidi has been featured in documentaries, on podcasts, and has won an award for her outstanding anti-trafficking work. Resources: www.paradigmshifttc.com www.culturereframed.org www.fightthenewdrug.org www.protectyoungeyes.com www.defendyoungminds.org https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:va6c2:ae82adc2-b935-4b7c-9451-83dd0ded76e0 Survey: We’d really like to learn more about what you think of the podcast, and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. https://forms.gle/dos4a11PEmCgth7Z8 Warning: Explicit content warning, trigger warning

    18 min
  4. Episode 71: Animal Abuse as An Adverse Childhood Experience: The Practitioner’s Response

    Jan 15

    Episode 71: Animal Abuse as An Adverse Childhood Experience: The Practitioner’s Response

    In this Bell Work Talk, Nancy Blaney and Claire Coughlin of the Animal Welfare Institute will discuss the relationship between child abuse and animal abuse, which frequently occur in the same homes. Given the special role that pets play in providing both emotional and social support to children, witnessing or being forced to participate in animal abuse is especially traumatic. Asking questions about pets and pet abuse can provide practitioners with unique insights into violent household dynamics and inform their intervention efforts. Claire Coughlin: Claire Coughlin (she/her) has a master’s degree in human development and family studies and extensive experience in both social services and animal advocacy. For over a decade, she specialized in evidence-based education and support services for children and families impacted by abuse and neglect. She now serves as the director of the Companion Animals Program for the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and oversees AWI’s work on the link between animal maltreatment and human violence, including the Safe Havens for Pets program which supports domestic violence survivors with pets. Nancy Blaney has advocated on behalf of animals for more than 40 years and is currently Director of Government Affairs at the Animal Welfare Institute. She works with federal and state legislators and regulators, the law enforcement community, veterinarians, and other stakeholder groups to improve animal welfare, the prosecution of animal cruelty crimes, and public awareness of the relationship between animal abuse and other forms of violence, particularly all forms of family violence. Nancy serves on a variety of advisory bodies and has co-authored several articles and chapters. Resources: Guidelines for Asking Children About Pets and Pet Abuse: https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/AWI-Asking-Children-About-Pets.pdf Guidelines for Asking Children About Pets and Pet Abuse(Spanish): https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/AWI-Asking-Children-About-Pets-Spanish.pdf When Children Witness Animal Abuse (An Assessment Guide): https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/AWI-When-Children-Witness-Animal-Abuse.pdf When Children Witness Animal Abuse (An Assessment Guide in Spanish): https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/AWI-When-Children-Witness-Animal-Abuse-Spanish.pdf Animal Cruelty Issues: What Juvenile and Family Court Judges Need to Know https://www.ncjfcj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/NCJFCJ_ALDF_Animal-Cruelty-TAB_Final.pdf Survey: We’d really like to learn more about what you think of the podcast, and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. https://forms.gle/dos4a11PEmCgth7Z8

    27 min
  5. Episode 70: Making the Business Case for Forensic Nursing Care

    12/05/2025

    Episode 70: Making the Business Case for Forensic Nursing Care

    In this Bell Work Talk, Dr. Ashleigh Bowman will introduce the key components of a business case, including calculating a return on investment (ROI). Forensic nurses should be able to articulate business components of the program and justify program costs for long-term sustainability. This podcast will help listeners begin thinking about the business model for their program to use in discussions with middle and upper administration and leaders. Ashleigh F. Bowman, DNP, CRNP, CPNP-AC, SANE-A, SANE-P, is an Associate Professor at the University of South Alabama, College of Nursing, and also maintains a faculty practice at USA Health’s Children’s & Women’s Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department in Mobile, AL. She has been a certified acute care pediatric nurse practitioner since 2016 and became a pediatric SANE in 2020. She obtained her DNP in 2018 from the University of South Alabama. While Dr. Bowman has focused her clinical career on the care of acute and critically ill pediatric patients since 2012, her research and educational interests are focused on health policy and the intersection of policy impacts on clinical practice. Dr. Bowman is currently the project director for federally-funded grant project centered around pediatric sexual assault. Resources: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2017, March). Toolkit for using AHRQ quality indicators. Retrieved from https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/settings/hospital/resource/qitool/index.html Bartlett Ellis, R. J., Embree, J. L., & Ellis, K. G. (2015). A business case framework for planning clinical nurse specialist-led interventions. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 29(6), 338-347. https://doi.org/10.1097/NUR.0000000000000162 Birken, E. G. (2022). Return on Investment (ROI). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/roi-return-on-investment/ Drenkard, K. N. (2022). The business case for Magnet® designation. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 52(9), 452-461. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000001182 Egan, C. (2024). Break-even point formula and analysis: How to calculate BEP for your business. Retrieved from https://squareup.com/us/en/the-bottom-line/managing-your-finances/how-to-calculate-break-even-point-analysis#:~:text=Revenue%20is%20the%20price%20for,%E2%80%93%20Variable%20Cost%20per%20Unit). Fernandez, V., Gausereide-Corral, M., Valiente, C., & Sanchez-Iglesias. (2023). Effectiveness of trauma-informed care interventions at the organizational level: A systematic review. Psychological Services, 20(4), 849-862. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000737 Gallagher, M. A., & Chraplyvy, N. (2022). Building a business case for hiring wound, ostomy, and continence nurses. Advanced Skin Wound Care, 35, 493-498. http://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASW.0000855028.36575.dc Green, J. S., Brummer, A., Mogg, D., & Purcell, J. (2021). Sexual assault nurse examiner/forensic nurse hospital-based staffing solution: A business plan development and evaluation. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 47, 643-653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2021.03.011 Hollender, M., Almirol, E., Meyer, M., Bearden, H., & Stanford, K. A. (2023). Sexual assault nurse examiners lead to improved uptake of services: A cross-sectional study. Social Emergency Medicine and Populational Health, 24(5), 974-982. https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.59514 Office for Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime. (n.d.). SANE program development and operation guide. Retrieved from https://www.ovcttac.gov/saneguide/introduction/ Vogt, E. L., Jiang, C., Jenkins, Q., Millette, M. J., Caldwell, M. T., Mehari, K. S., & Marsh, E. E. (2022). Trends in US emergency department use after sexual assault, 2006-2019. JAMA Network Open, 5(10), e22236273. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.36273 Welch, T. D., & Smith, T. B. (2021). Anatomy of a business case. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 46(1), 88-95. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000498

    20 min
  6. Episode 69: Turning Risk into Response: DVHRT Approach to Intimate Partner Homicide Reduction

    10/26/2025

    Episode 69: Turning Risk into Response: DVHRT Approach to Intimate Partner Homicide Reduction

    In this Bell Work Talk, Sarah Galgano from the Geiger Institute, creators of the Domestic Violence High Risk Team (DVHRT) model will discuss the origin, four core components, goals and lessons learned from the more than 80 communities that have implemented the model. Typical team membership, including the critical role that Forensic Nurse Examiners play will be discussed. Sarah is a Senior Project Specialist for the Geiger Institute where she supports communities’ efforts to implement intimate partner homicide reduction strategies and evaluate their effectiveness. Before joining the Institute, Sarah provided customized technical assistance to jurisdictions throughout the country to help them improve justice system outcomes for victims and defendants, reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system, and increase community engagement with justice initiatives. She has managed a variety of projects, including the implementation of justice reform legislation, program implementation, model fidelity, institutionalizing the use of data and reporting on programmatic outcomes, and reducing the unnecessary use of incarceration. Sarah has B.A.’s from the University of Iowa and received her Master of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Resources: The Geiger Institute: Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention | The Geiger Institute https://geigerinstitute.org/ SAPD & Metro Health Discussing DA-LE: La Mesa: Intervening in Domestic Violence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gSxgV2Z2Gk&t=1426s Danger Assessment: The Danger Assessment: Validation of a Lethality Risk Assessment Instrument for Intimate Partner Femicide - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7878014/ DA-LE: Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement | Geiger Institute https://geigerinstitute.org/da-le/ DVHRT: Domestic Violence High-Risk Team Model | Geiger Institute https://geigerinstitute.org/dvhrt-model/ Survey: We’d really like to learn more about what you think of the podcast, and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. https://forms.gle/dos4a11PEmCgth7Z8

    19 min
  7. Episode 68: From Kit to CODIS: Comparing DNA Yields from Blind Swab vs. Speculum Collection

    10/02/2025

    Episode 68: From Kit to CODIS: Comparing DNA Yields from Blind Swab vs. Speculum Collection

    In this Bell Work Talk, Dr. Jamie Lewis Saye discusses her team’s pilot study comparing blind swab and speculum-assisted evidence collection during sexual assault forensic medical examinations. She highlights how both methods yield similar rates of Y-screen positivity and CODIS-eligible DNA profiles, underscoring the potential of less invasive approaches to improve survivor participation in evidence collection while maintaining forensic integrity. Dr. Jamie Lewis Saye, DNP, CNM, APRN, SANE-A, is an Assistant Professor in the Wellstar School of Nursing at Kennesaw State University and Clinical Director of the SAFE Center. A certified nurse-midwife and experienced Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, Dr. Saye brings over a decade of experience in forensic nursing, trauma-informed care, and interdisciplinary community-academic collaboration. Her research focuses on strengthening forensic evidence collection practices, advancing survivor-centered policies, and improving health and legal outcomes for victims of violence. Dr. Saye recently led a multi-site pilot study across 13 sexual assault centers in the Southeastern U.S. that compared blind swab and speculum-assisted vaginal/cervical specimen collection methods. These findings inform both clinical training and policy, supporting survivor-centered and trauma-informed approaches in forensic nursing practice. Resources: Saye, J. L., et al. (2025). From Kit to CODIS: Comparing DNA Profile Yields from Blind Swabs and Speculum-Guided Collection. [Manuscript in development / forthcoming publication] Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). (2024). National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations: Adults/Adolescents (3rd ed.). Campbell, R., Javorka, M., Gregory, K., Vollinger, L., & Ma, W. (2021). The Right to Say No: Why Adult Sexual Assault Patients Decline Medical Forensic Exams and Sexual Assault Kit Evidence. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 17(1), 3-14. RAINN (2025). Sexual Assault Statistics. https://www.rainn.org/statistics Survey: We’d really like to learn more about what you think of the podcast, and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. https://forms.gle/dos4a11PEmCgth7Z8 Warning: Mentions of sexual assault, forensic examination procedures, and trauma.

    19 min
  8. Episode 67: Conversations with Patients: Integrating Pet-Related Questions and Resources

    09/02/2025

    Episode 67: Conversations with Patients: Integrating Pet-Related Questions and Resources

    In this Bell Work Talk, Nancy Blaney and Claire Coughlin of the Animal Welfare Institute will discuss the connection between human and animal welfare and implications for the practice of Forensic Nursing. By incorporating questions about animals into their work, practitioners can identify people and pets at risk, positively impact service engagement, and make the most of available resources. Claire Coughlin: Claire Coughlin (she/her) has a master’s degree in human development and family studies and extensive experience in both social services and animal advocacy. For over a decade, she specialized in evidence-based education and support services for children and families impacted by abuse and neglect. She now serves as the director of the Companion Animals Program for the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and oversees AWI’s work on the link between animal maltreatment and human violence, including the Safe Havens for Pets program which supports domestic violence survivors with pets. Nancy Blaney has advocated on behalf of animals for more than 40 years and is currently Director of Government Affairs at the Animal Welfare Institute. She works with federal and state legislators and regulators, the law enforcement community, veterinarians, and other stakeholder groups to improve animal welfare, the prosecution of animal cruelty crimes, and public awareness of the relationship between animal abuse and other forms of violence, particularly all forms of family violence. Nancy serves on a variety of advisory bodies and has co-authored several articles and chapters. Resources: Including Pets in Orders of Protection (State-Specific Guides): https://awionline.org/content/including-pets-protection-orders Safety Planning for People with Pets: https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/AWI-Safety-Planning-Pets.pdf Safety Planning for People with Pets (Spanish): https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/AWI-Safety-Planning-Pets-Spanish.pdf Searchable Database of Safe Havens (shelters and other services that help get people and pets to safety) https://awionline.org/content/safe-havens-pets Survey: We’d really like to learn more about what you think of the podcast, and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. https://forms.gle/dos4a11PEmCgth7Z8 We’d be interested to hear practitioners’ experiences with patients whose abusers have harmed or threatened to harm their pets and what it was like getting everyone to safety; what resources did they have access to, what obstacles did they face?

    21 min
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4.6
out of 5
11 Ratings

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Podcast by Kathy Bell

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