Liberty Forensic Science Club Hosts April Rasmussen

Liberty University’s Forensic Science Club hosted the Director of Centra’s Forensic Nursing Program April Rasmussen at its meeting March 25 to speak about the importance of sexual assault examinations within hospital practices. 

Rasmussen is a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital, where her job is to provide physical and emotional care for victims of sexual assault. Rasmussen also does forensic nursing to assist victims of violence and trauma. 

During the meeting, Rasmussen shared her career journey and what a position in forensic nursing normally looks like. She additionally provided details about the responsibilities of a SANE nurse and how their care specifically aims to positively impact victims of sexual assault. 

Nadia Walter, the president of the Forensic Science Club, said that speakers like Rasmussen allow students to see the world of forensic science up close and understand the career options they have. She said she hopes students may decide they want to pursue a career as a forensic nurse after hearing Rasmussen’s inspiring testimony. 

“It exposes them to a subject that they might not even be able to develop questions for because they don’t know anything about the topic,” McClintock said. 

The information presented during the meeting was sensitive in nature as Rasmussen walked the audience through how forensic nurses typically approach a sexual assault case.  Walter expressed that the education provided at the gathering is vital for forensic students to have.  

“I hope that they take away just the importance of our discipline in the real world. I know it’s a very heavy topic, but it just shows you really can make a difference in this field,” Walter said. 

During her presentation, Rasmussen explained the routine process for testing for sexual assault and identifying violent wounds found on victims.  

To give students some practical experience, Rasmussen showed various photos of injuries and allowed students to make educated guesses as to the cause of the wound and what evidence would likely need to be collected. Rasmussen also allowed the group to observe Physical Evidence Recovery Kits.  

Students then participated in an exercise that emphasized how many times a victim may be asked the same question during an investigative proceeding. A volunteer sat in a chair and members of the club approached them one by one and asked them, “What happened?” to demonstrate the harrowing number of times a victim might have to relive their trauma. 

Students who attended the meeting understood how crucial the information Rasmussen provided was to their career paths.  

“I just think it’s really interesting to talk to a sexual assault nurse about what happens and honestly just learn how they approach victims when they’ve gone through something like that,” junior Abby Proffitt said. 

A number of law students also watched Rasmussen’s presentation to prepare for their future careers. 

“I’m currently taking a class about prosecuting child abuse cases, and we would be working directly with forensic nurses, especially SANE nurses,” a third-year law student, Jessica Tucker, said. “Part of our job is we ultimately have to learn from these kinds of expert witnesses about our case, about how to ask for an elicit testimony from them so this is a great opportunity to jump ahead on my future career.”   

The event provided exceptional preparation to a wide variety of students regarding forensic nursing and sexual assault examinations. The students who attended the meeting left with a greater comprehension of the forensic field and how to correctly assess the processes of examinations for assault and violent injuries. 

The club will continue to host meetings to educate students about the forensic science field as the semester goes on. The club posts details about their gatherings and upcoming events on its Instagram, @lu.forensicscience. 

Mullet is a staff writer for the Liberty Champion.