(Saint John) An assistant professor of nursing at the University of New Brunswick deplores the critical shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners in Canada.
Martha Paynter, who is also a well-known author and health equity activist, says most sexual assault nurse examiners currently work on call and on call, in addition to their full-time jobs, if a victim comes to an institution.
According to Mme Paynter, many nurses would love to do this job, but they already struggle with burnout and rigid conditions in their regular jobs.
New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador health officials say they have dropped plans to train sexual assault nurse examiners because too few candidates signed up .
The Ontario Nurses Association, for its part, deplores a “worrying” shortage of these specialized nurses in this province.
Statistics Canada reports that the rate of police-reported sexual assaults in Canada increased by 18% in 2021 compared to the previous year. The largest increases were recorded in Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick.
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners are “forensic nurses” trained to properly gather evidence from victims and help them deal with trauma. They may also be called to testify at trial.
Sheila Early, president of the Association of Forensic Nurses of Canada, says the current shortage of sexual assault nurses is because for decades these tasks were done on a casual basis.
Mme Early recalls in an interview that this training is unfortunately not recognized as a specialty by the Canadian Nurses Association.
The Canadian Nurses Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
