The Sustainability Blog will be taking a temporary hiatus in order to plan for the next phase of our project. Before we go, though, how about one last, chewy post for the road?

10 Tips for SANE Sustainability:

We’ve been fortunate in the course of the National SANE Sustainability Technical Assistance Project to learn a great deal being out in the field and talking with SANE Coordinators from around the country. In our work, with both individual programs and groups of SANEs and SART members, we’ve seen some commonalities that transcend geographic areas and program structure. Maybe we can’t quite call them universal truths, but here are 10 tips for sustainability (in no particular order) that were repeatedly underscored throughout the three years of the project:
1.    Don’t forget the nurse in SANE: when hospitals and healthcare funders don’t see the healthcare dividends provided by SANE programs they are less likely to provide long-term support. More importantly, only 10% of our patients will ever see the inside of a courtroom, but 100% of our patients will have the opportunity to develop healthcare sequelae from the sexual assault. Shouldn’t that be our priority?
2.    Rethink program structure: Is 24/7 coverage truly achievable in your program? If not, consider consistent, dependable coverage that’s well understood by all community partners. Then invest some time into creating transfer agreements to other regional SANE programs or provide high quality training for area emergency department personnel to help fill in gaps when coverage is simply not available.
3.    Recruit with specificity: If Labor and Delivery needs someone for weekend nights, they recruit personnel who can work those shifts. If the Emergency Department needs nurses who are already ACLS certified, they recruit with that skill set in mind. Why should SANE programs operate any differently? You know what shifts aren’t being covered and what skill sets you need. Recruit based on the needs of your team. That ensures a better fit right from the beginning.
4.    Look at the nexus between leadership and retention: Many SANEs who left programs told us their departures were directly related to poor leadership by program coordinators. This was illustrated by issues such as coordinators expecting more from staff than they were willing to do themselves; lack of any appreciable feedback; and poor communication between staff and the coordinator.
5.    Invest in people, not things: New toys are fun, but they’re often unnecessary. A new colposcope or expensive photography system may seem like something your program needs, but what’s more important are competent, current clinicians. When you invest in people you help maintain an effective workforce and make it easier to recruit new team members. Continuing education, call and court pay, a raise in case fees—these help maintain a team that is reliable and knowledgeable. Will patient care be enhanced when you purchase the $20,000 piece of equipment versus the $500 one? Maybe not. Will patient care be enhanced when they encounter a nurse who is current and comprehensive in his or her practice? Definitely.
6.    Learn and articulate SANE value: Do you know the economic worth of your staff and the services you provide? Hospitals and other funders speak in dollars and cents. If you want to be able to make a case for financial support you have to speak the language. This means writing a business plan. Don’t know how? No problem—we have what you need right here to get started.
7.    Let go of the “If I don’t do it no one will” mentality: Is there a quicker path to burnout than non-stop call? I don’t think so. Know when to say when and spend some time on Plan B—emergency department backup, triage and support by a neighboring SANE program, whatever it takes to give yourself the occasional break. Sustaining SANE programs starts with sustaining yourself.
8.    Learn to ask for help: Today more than ever there are plentiful resources for assistance. Whether it’s national resources like NSVRC and SAFEta, state resources, like statewide SANE Coordinators, or local resources, like community collaborators, chances are there are people in your world available to advise and assist on topics as diverse as grant writing and vicarious trauma. If you can, try to avoid waiting to ask for help until it’s a crisis, though—think prevention, not cure.
9.    Start looking for a replacement: You may have no plans to leave your position any time soon, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider who would take over if you left. Mentoring takes time and a program that hinges on a single individual simply isn’t any more sustainable than a program that hinges on a single source of funding.
10.    Nurture and celebrate your staff: The greatest assets you have to your program are the nurses who staff the SANE schedule. Maybe you can’t compensate them in the ways you’d like. Perhaps sending everyone to the IAFN Annual Assembly is unrealistic. But celebrating the small triumphs, giving team members opportunities for recognition of their achievements at staff meetings, these are small gestures that pay big dividends. Whether it’s a couple of movie passes for the nurse who saw the most patients in a month, or cupcakes to celebrate a new nurse getting off orientation and onto the schedule, even small victories deserve notice and help staff feel more engaged and appreciated.
 

I hope everyone will be able to take some time these next few months to nurture themselves. I know that's my goal. Thanks for reading and I look forward to connecting with many of you again this fall. Have a safe and peaceful summer, everyone!

SAFEta Source is hosting a free webinar on SANE program peer review that is a must for anyone running a program. Particularly if you are struggling with how best to set up a peer review process or have not yet considered the benefits of peer review. The webinar will be held June 22nd at 2pm ET. Advanced registration is required to attend.

From the site:

Presented by Suzanne Rotolo, PhD, MSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, CFN, and Lisa Gorham, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, CFN, this webinar will offer education and practical solutions to clinicians who are looking for resources on peer review. At the end of the event, attendees will be able to:

1.    Describe the peer review process

2.    Identify reasons that peer review should take place

3.    Identify resources in particular practice arenas that can validate the peer review process

Suzanne Rotolo, PhD, MSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, CFN has been a nurse since 1976. In 1981 she began working at Inova Fairfax Hospital/Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children in the Emergency Department. In 1991, she developed the first Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program in Virginia. In 1993, under Rotolo's direction, the SANE Program changed to the FACT (Forensic Assessment and Consultation Teams) Department, which now comprises the SANE program, the Domestic Violence program, the Physical Child Abuse program, and the Body Cavity Search program for the adult detention center. Rotolo has examined over 5,000 patients reporting sexual assault. She has been qualified as an expert in sexual assault over 150 times in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Rotolo received her PhD from George Mason University in 2009, with her dissertation on the "Patterns of Genital Trauma in Sexually Assaulted Women." She is nationally certified as a SANE-P, a SANE-P, and is also a Certified Forensic Nurse (CFN). She is well published in the forensic field and is a founding member of the national and local chapters of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN).

Lisa Gorham, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, CFN graduated from Northern Virginia Community College in 1996 and went on to receive her BSN from Old Dominion University. She had worked in the areas of geriatrics, mental health, addictions, research, pediatrics, and sexual assault. She has performed sexual assault examinations since 2002, lectures on the subject at George Washington University, participates in case reviews with a local county child advocacy center, and has jointly published an article on the topic of peer review as it relates to sexual assault examinations. She currently resides in Maryland with her family and works for Inova Fairfax Hospital's Forensic Assessment and Consultation Team.
 

NNEDV has a new bulletin, Privacy Concerns When Posting Content Online that's worth perusing. Particularly for those of you using social media sites like Facebook, I think it's a good common sense overview. I think it's a great one-pager to provide new staff members, since it's critical for SANEs to consider what they post and how it can impact them professionally.

For those of you struggling with writing government grants, the Office of Justice Programs has a tutorial that can make the process easier. You'll find everything you need at their Grants 101 site. Best of all, much of the information is applicable to grantwriting in general, particularly in the proposal writing section. And there's a Toolkit with sample documents and other resources, as well. So even if you're embarking on a local community or private foundation grant, it's worth perusing all the same.

Network for Good has a free eBook now available: 8 Online Fundraising Changes You Must Make in 2010. For those of you looking at how to more effectively raise money for general program services through individual donors, this may provide some valuable insight.

You can access the eBook here; some basic demographic information is required prior to download.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and as a way to capture what SANEs and other forensic clinicians are doing to commemorate the month (including the Day of Action on April 20th), we've got a little giveaway over at FHO. One random reader will win a $50 Amazon.com gift card for responding to our question, so come check it out!

One of the issues we've heard repeatedly in this project is the challenges staff and contract SANEs feel in communicating with their managers and agency administrators. Not feeling like they have a voice and not feeling like their concerns are being addressed has led to problems with retaining good quality, competent nurses. So I was pretty interested in this article over at the Harvard Business Report's Best Practices blog, How to Give Your Boss Feedback. I have to tell you, I found a lot of the advice to be pretty reasonable and applicable to our work, as well.

I'll be interested to know what you think and if you have any other strategies that seem to work.

First off, apologies for the paucity of posts as of late. I am smack in the middle of a 12 city/8 week tour of the US (because March and April are incredibly busy training months), and I simply haven't been able to keep up. This week is relatively quiet with only an overnighter for me tonight, so I hope to get more content up than I have over the past 2 weeks.

I have been asked by a couple readers about leadership coursework with nursing CEUs attached. I'm happy to report that Contemporary Forums has a couple low-cost options ($15/each) that might be a good solution. I recognize that many of the CEU programs out there in this arena can be very pricey, so these might be worth checking out.

I am very excited to be working with Dr. Rebecca Campbell and her colleagues at Michigan State University on a new research grant that will assist SANE programs in evaluating their impact on criminal justice outcomes. SANE programs who would like to participate in this project are encouraged to apply. You can find all of the details here.

I hope many of you will consider applying. It's going to be a fantastic opportunity, and it's not limited to nurse-managed SANE programs. Applications are being accepted now through the end of April. Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

TechSoup is offering a free webinar March 16th, 11am PT on using Twitter. This session is geared toward libraries and non-profits. "This webinar will survey the Twitter landscape, explaining core concepts, enumerating best practices, and describing the tools and tactics that exist to leverage Twitter's strengths.

Kami Griffiths will interview Allen Gunn, Executive Director of Aspiration, who will be offering a balanced perspective, assessing both the pros and cons of Twitter and helping you understand how best to use it.

This webinar is ideal for anyone interested in getting started using Twitter. It's especially relevant if you're unsure about the terminology or where to begin."