Penn State students have returned from their hometowns to campus for the start of classes like millions of other college and university students across the country. However, the start of the fall semester also marks the beginning of the “red zone.”
The red zone is the period from late August until Thanksgiving break when national data shows about 50% of all sexual assaults against college students occur. It’s a time of year when young adults may be vulnerable as they are away from the familiar surroundings of home and experiencing the college social scene for the first time. But regardless of the reason, registered nurse Nicki Olson of Mount Nittany Medical Center wants survivors to know that the hospital is a safe place to report such incidents without judgment.
“We don’t judge. We just want to make sure that you’re OK,” said Olson, who has more than two decades of experience caring for sexual assault patients. “That is our number one concern, is that you’re OK.”
Olson is a sexual assault nurse examiner for adults at the medical center. She heads up the sexual assault response team in the emergency department, where she not only provides care for survivors but also teaches the program that allows other nurses to be certified as sexual assault forensic examiners. Every emergency department nurse who works at Mount Nittany has been trained in helping assault survivors.
Olson knows all too well about the red zone and, unfortunately, sees a rise in sexual assault cases home Penn State football weekends. With the population of the State College area temporarily increasing by 100,000 people, the forensic nurses are on 12-hour call to handle the additional cases. And while alcohol or drugs can be a contributing factor to an assault, freshmen can be targeted by predators waiting to take advantage of their newly found freedom.
“I think there are definite perpetrators that are watching for the new prey to come” warned Olson.
The need for a specialized assault team available at all times stemmed from the trauma, fear or feeling of shame one might have felt in the past after reporting an incident. Sometimes the survivor would have to give a statement at a police precinct in the very same rooms where interrogations were held. Another situation might have found a survivor sitting in the lobby of an ER after an unwanted sex act flanked by police officers for an extended period of time. With the emergency department assault team, this is no longer the case.
“Even if the nurse isn’t able to immediately get to them to start their exam, we try to put them in a waiting area so that they’re not sitting out there for hours,” said Olson. “It may just take a few minutes but it’s definitely a priority to get them out of the public view.”
This is especially important since the person cannot eat or drink due to drug and alcohol testing that is required. They also cannot remove their clothes until they are ready to be collected for evidence.
In the past the survivor also might have had to give information about an attack to the police, a nurse and a physician at separate times, causing them to relive their trauma.
“Many patients said ‘You know my rape was horrible and I thought that was the worst thing that could happen to me,” recalls Olson. “Then I came and tried to get help and between my care, my exam and the legal system, I felt like I was raped all over again.’”
Now the patient only has to tell their story once.
“The medical system wanted to do everything they could to make what was the worst day of the patient’s life a little less painful,” said Olson.
A forensic nurse is assigned to a patient based on male, female and transgender needs. While a majority of assaults seen in the ER are female patients, Olson believes the number of male attacks are not fully represented.
“I think that male sexual assaults are very under-reported,” she said. “I think there’s definitely much more that goes on (but) because of the stigma that goes along with male sexual assault we don’t get them in.
“That’s very unfortunate because I think with females, there’s more of a support system for them. They are able to get the resources they need, where males I think are dealing with it on their own.
“I wish that we could break through that barrier.”
Once in a private room, a nurse is joined by a police officer from the proper jurisdiction and a representative from Centre Safe, the State College-based organization that provides services for sexual and domestic violence survivors. A parent or other support person is also allowed in at the patient’s request. Unlike other nurses in the ER who might be responsible for several patients, the forensic nurse is assigned to the survivor alone.
The examination starts by interviewing the survivor and administering a suicide screening. The patient is asked to give as much detail as possible about the event. The nurse then performs a thorough, head-to-toe physical examination but only exposing one section at a time while the rest of the body is heavily covered with blankets. Pictures are taken and specimen samples are retrieved. It is important that this is done within 96 hours of the incident when evidence is most viable.
The patient can ask to go at a pace they are comfortable with and can refuse any part of the examination at any time.
“The goals that we have are, number one, to collect the evidence, but to make the victim as comfortable as possible and to give the patient back control” said Olson.
The survivor is also given preventative measures for gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV and the morning after pill for women. The nurse will ask about hepatitis B and tetanus shots and give if needed by the patient.
After the interview and exam, the survivor receives clean clothes and is released with follow-up services provided by Centre Safe.
Olson has advice on how people can help to protect themselves and others.
“Have a buddy system. Watch out for your friends,” said Olson. “Let people know where you’re going.
“If you’re in a group of people and one of your friends disappears, find them. Don’t think it’s okay to leave without them because it’s not.”
For additional resources visit Centre Safe’s website, Penn State’s Victim and Survivor Support and Advocacy and Penn State’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
For help getting home safely after dark, students can contact Penn State’s Safe Walk Service at 814-865-WALK (9255).
