Man, I don’t even know how long we’ve been waiting for this: just released, the National Protocol for Pediatric Sexual Abuse Medical Forensic Examinations. You can download the full document here (PDF); IAFN press release here; OVW press release here. See also the brand new technical assistance site on the protocol: www.kidsta.org. Congrats to everyone who worked on this–job well done! More to come on this, I’m sure…
Category: Child Abuse
Time once again for Articles of Note, your (almost) monthly guide to what’s new in the peer-reviewed literature. Keep in mind this is an overview of what’s piqued my interest, not a comprehensive list of everything relevant, so I encourage you to check out what else is available. Click through for the Word doc with active links, and the more printer-friendly PDF. As always, I ask that you properly attribute the doc if you use it or share.
After a lovely week in the mountains with my kid, I am back at home for a startling 3 weeks(ish), finding all of the travel scheduled for this month either postponed or otherwise resolved. No complaints because it is full-on spring in DC, one of the loveliest times of the year here. I spent *a lot* of time hanging out in airports on Saturday, so plenty of time to peruse my social media streams. Here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
Midwest Regional Children’s Advocacy Center has a webinar coming up: Sentinel Injuries in Child Physical Abuse. I know this is late notice, as the session is being held March 24th at 1pm CT, however, it will be archived, as all of their webinars are. CMEs are available (but not, apparently, CEUs). Click through for details:
I will be heading on vacation soon, so this week is all about tying up loose ends so I can go away without the weight of not-yet-completed work looking over my shoulder. EVAWI is in town this week, so many of you will be here in DC; while multiple scheduling conflicts prohibit me from attending, I’m going to stop over tomorrow to catch up with some folks. Perhaps I will run into you there:) Sasha just got back in town; she and I hadn’t had a weekend together in a month, so it was a pretty chill couple of days in our house. Much cooking and feeding of people, my favorite way to spend down time. I caught up on my social media feeds in the evening when jet lag was hitting my spouse hard; here’s what’s caught my eye since last we spoke:
CDC just released a new publication, Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence: A Strategic Vision to Connect the Dots. From the site: The different forms of violence—child abuse and neglect, youth violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, elder abuse and suicidal behavior—are interconnected and often share the same root causes. Understanding the overlapping causes of violence and the things that can protect people and communities can help us better prevent violence in all its forms. CDC’s Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence: A Strategic Vision for Connecting the Dots (PDF) describes the Division of Violence Prevention’s 5-year vision and areas of strategic focus to help us understand, respond to, and ultimately prevent violence across the lifespan.
When I was running an errand yesterday I heard the tail end of this discussion on extending the statutes of limitations on sex crimes on the Diane Rehm Show. It’s obviously a timely topic, and I very much appreciated the fact that a defense attorney was one of the 4 guests participating, since it added greater depth to this discussion. If you have a chance, it’s a good listen.
A whole week at home is what I have to look forward to this week, so I am taking advantage of every minute while I’m here. Lots of home cooked meals, long runs with the dog, and some entertaining at the house for me. Oh, and lots of work. The projects don’t seem to be slowing down (not a complaint), but I did manage to keep an eye on my social media feeds (including live tweets from the Oscars); here’s what’s caught my eye since last we spoke:
Time once again for Articles of Note–what’s new in the peer-reviewed literature that has captured my attention. And let me tell you something: there’s a lot to go through here. Some fantastic articles, a few of which are free full-text. You’re definitely going to want to spend some time on this list, because there’s much to recommend (and so my stack of to reads grows even larger). Click through for the Word doc with active links or the more printer friendly and sharable PDF. As always, please give attribution if you use or alter these.
How nice to have a week at home before I hit the travel pretty hard. After a lovely (albeit brief) visit with my kid, I am looking at a week of hard core writing and editing before I depart for Fairbanks, AK next weekend. Not much downtime here. But sitting around the airport I had the opportunity to check out my various social media sites; here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
The Tribal Forensic Healthcare project has 2 webinars coming up in February, both sexual assault case reviews. The pediatric one, Who Said What?!? Utilizing Case Presentations to Improve Pediatric Forensic Medical Evaluations, will be held February 3rd from 2-3:30pm ET. The adult session, Sexual Assault Examiner: Adult Case Review, will be held February 16th from 2-3:30pm ET. CEUs/CMEs will be available (although see the bolded note regarding intended audience for the peds webinar). Click through for details about both:
I took a snow day yesterday, along with almost everyone else in the DC metro area. The government is still shut down today and cars are littering the roads around my neighborhood (although it stopped snowing Saturday night, as of this posting, I still haven’t seen a plow on my street). Technically, today is a snow day, as well, but there really aren’t too many of those for the self-employed. So back at work I am. I’ll be heading to CLE tomorrow for a quick visit with my kiddo, but today, the focus is Articles of Note. So without further explanation, here’s what’s new and noteworthy in the peer-reviewed journals. Click through for both the printable PDF and the link-friendly Word doc. As always, attribution, please, if you use or distribute my work.
I know, I know–these are Monday posts, and it is distinctly not Monday. Apologies, but I spent my weekend motoring to the finish line to complete the draft of a paper for a project that has consumed my life as of late. I turned it in yesterday, so I am just starting to dig out today. As I wait to board a flight to Austin to spend some quality time with my favorite group of JAGs, here’s what’s caught my eye since last we spoke:
I usually post links to popular media on Mondays, but this one is so compelling (and intersects with a few different areas of my professional life) I thought it was worth its own mention. If you haven’t read the article To Catch a Rapist yet (it will be in print in this Sunday’s NY Times Magazine), I’d encourage you to do so. In a climate where law enforcement doesn’t always get great press, this is a nod to a dedicated group of professionals who are truly invested in the work we do. It’s a long read, but a good one.
Thanks to everyone who entered last week’s giveaway. The randomizer has spoken, and #15 was chosen: Tracie Bourque, congratulations! I just need an email with your address and we’ll get your copy of the Core Curriculum for Forensic Nursing out to you. If your name wasn’t drawn, there’s a small consolation: Wolters Kluwer Health is generously offering FHO readers 20% off the list price using this link.
Today is my favorite lawyer’s birthday, so on top of the usual holiday festivities, we have birthday shenanigans to attend to, as well (this nice man is cooking for us tonight). The night out will be a treat–I worked through most of the weekend, so there wasn’t a lot of down time. Not much reading happened either (again), but there were a few things that caught my eye since last we spoke:
Did anyone else watch The Hunting Ground last night on CNN? I had my twitter feed open while we watched, which was at time horrifying (nothing brings out the worst in the twittersphere like the intersection of football and rape reports) and at times deeply comforting, as I saw friends, real and virtual, popping up from all over the country. If you haven’t yet seen it, you can find future showings here. Definitely worth the time, although I felt bone-weary at the end of it; so many of the same stories we hear from patients day after day. Disastrous disclosures, frequent lack of support, and confusion about options. Much work still to do, my friends.
I want to extend a quick welcome to all of FHO’s new subscribers. Last week saw the largest increase in subscribers since we started the site in 2009. Pretty happy to have you join our (much less) small but mighty band of forensic healthcare providers and associated colleagues from law enforcement and the legal community, victim advocacy, and a variety of other fascinating professions who come together each week at the intersection of healthcare and the law. So pleased you found us.
It’s a short week here in the US with the Thanksgiving holiday, so postings will be light. Look for a more robust schedule next week–perhaps even our annual staff gift guide, who knows? Really anything could happen, hard to tell. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been reading since last we spoke:
Time once again for Articles of Note, my walk through the recent peer-reviewed literature. While not exhaustive, it’s an overview of the articles that have been published in the last 4-6 weeks that seem most relevant to my practice (the operative words being my practice). FHO readership has grown *so much* in just the last 6 months that it’s getting harder and harder to anticipate relevance for this broadly focused and multidisciplinary audience (not a complaint). So I encourage you to use this list as a jumping off point–follow the footnotes, check out the tables of contents for these journal editions, see what else is out there that speaks to the work that you do. Click through for the more printer-friendly, sharable PDF and the Word doc with active hyperlinks:
This week is the IAFN annual conference, and once again, it’s an opportunity to network and collaborate with some of the best and the brightest in the field. It’s a week I love, and sometimes love to hate, because with the deeply satisfying moments come the inevitable, frustrating ones where I witness acts of great professional unkindness perpetrated left and right. Over the years a degree of both public and private shaming has begun to emerge at this conference, particularly in regards to education, that makes me feel sad for the profession. I have witnessed it first hand, as close friends have been made to feel their accomplishments mean nothing without advanced degrees; I’ve listened (astonished) in public forums as those who should be mentors explicitly tell audience members that they need to dumb their content down for the non-PhDs in the room; and of course, I’ve had more nurses than I can count worry to me about whether they will have a place in the organization 5-10 years down the road if they don’t go back to school.
My best friend was in town this weekend, so it was a non-stop food fest, and a chance to play tourist in my own city. I was back online last night, though, after a day working on a rather chewy writing project for a 3-letter government agency. Here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:
The Midwest Regional CAC has a multidisciplinary webinar coming up: Medical Care of Child Sex Abuse Victims. The session will be held October 22nd at 1pm CT. This offering comes with 2 hours of CMEs (also POST credits and social work, but astonishingly, no nursing credits). Click through for details, as well as information on a new publication from OJJDP: