Dozens of Mount Saint Mary College Nursing majors attended the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) workshop held on campus earlier this month.
The presentation was hosted by two professionals from the Orange County Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy program, an initiative of Mental Health Association of Orange County: Tina Conneely, Senior Victim Services Coordinator, and Yamaris Vaillant, Senior Sexual Assault Examiner, RN, and 2017 alumna of the Mount. Joining them was Dina Leduc, Assistant Director of the college’s Health Services.
Approximately 50 students attended the workshop, which focused on the responsibilities of sexual assault nurse examiners and the compassion they must show their patients. The presenters also discussed the equipment involved in evidence collection.
At the end of the presentation, the students joined the “Start by Believing” public awareness campaign, which challenges healthcare providers, the justice system, campus communities, and other groups to improve their response to victims of sexual assault through every stage of the healing process.
The event was sponsored by the college’s Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) grant. The Mount’s School of Nursing was recently awarded the $1.6 million, three-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NWD program focuses on the recruitment, support, retention, and graduation of nursing students from underrepresented groups. It increases nursing education opportunities and assists students from disadvantaged backgrounds to become baccalaureate-prepared nurses.
The Fall 2023 semester marks the start of the program’s second year. The nursing students in this program benefit from a multitude of support services and opportunities to serve the community.
The Mount’s service-focused approach to education goes hand-in-hand with helping professions like Nursing. Mount Nursing students enjoy state-of-the-art simulation labs and clinical relationships with dozens of area hospitals. The Mount’s passionate faculty are dedicated to the success of both their undergraduate and graduate students.