Go home, don’t shower: Winnipeg nurses say staff shortage forces sexual assault victims to leave without forensic exam

Sexual assault victims who can’t get an immediate forensic examination because of staffing shortages at a Winnipeg emergency department are being told to go home, do their best to preserve evidence and come back when a trained nurse forensic examiner is available, the president of the Manitoba Nurses Union revealed at a recent press conference. “Imagine being told not to shower, not to change your child’s diaper, or to wipe after going to the washroom in an effort to preserve evidence that may affect the outcome of a court case,” Darlene Jackson said, according to a CTV News report. “I don’t need to tell you the impact of a request like that.” The union wants the Manitoba government to act on an expanded program, announced in April 2021, that would see more nurses trained as forensic nurse examiners. The plan was to have five of these newly trained nurses work at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg and assign others to satellite sites in Brandon, The Pas and Thompson. Read: After rape, they call the forensic nurse The program, which was allocated $640,000 in annual funding, was expected to be ready by early 2023. But to date “we have yet to see a full-time provincial coordinator hired nor any education delivered at spoke sites outside the perimeter which means that our rural and northern patients' needs [have] not been met,” said Jackson. In the meantime, one full-time and 14 casual nurses—who also have full-time jobs elsewhere—are doing the forensic exams, usually on call during their off time. “This is more than facing a shortage. This is a program that is not functioning,” she said. Jackson told the press conference patients need to have 24/7 access to a nurse forensic examiner because there’s no way to predict when a sexual assault may occur. Read: N.B. sexual assault nurse says premier's comments are a 'slap in the face' She also said the 14 nurses had previously put together a presentation begging their employer for help. The nurses had also met last November with Manitoba Health Minister Audrey Gordon. “This is outrageous. This program services patients from all over Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario and Southern Saskatchewan,” said Jackson. “This program deserves a dedicated space in a private, safe environment. This program has received funding and now needs action. It is completely unacceptable to allow this to continue. We must do more to protect these vulnerable survivors and to prevent the few remaining nurses from leaving altogether.” Manitoba’s Shared Service office said five of the seven forensic nurse examiner positions have been filled—with training expected to start in February—and that efforts to recruit a program manager are underway. Read: The troubling truths about treating sex assault survivors

Go home, don’t shower: Winnipeg nurses say staff shortage forces sexual assault victims to leave without forensic exam

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