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Hope House Contributions
The spring 2019 Gender Media class voted to give donations to Hope House, a local domestic violence shelter. Thanks for participating in t...
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Our guest speaker, Avila alum Jennifer Green, spoke to the class about the neurobiology of patients who have experienced sexual trauma or ...
I was blown away by the amount of information Jen Green provided that was entirely new to me. I had no idea the process of analyzing a rape kit took so long. Prior to this speaker, I was aware there exists a large number of rape kits not read due to a time lapse on evidence. However, I cannot imagine the anguish a person would feel after such a violation to themselves, to be told if they choose to collect evidence they will not know results for over two hundred days. That is a long time.
ReplyDeleteBefore this presentation I was ignorant as to why a woman would not pursue justice and formally accuse her assailant. Now, I have a much better understanding as to why this might not be an option. All most of these women want is to overcome their trauma and return to their normal lives. With prosecution not taking off until at least two hundred days there are only years to look forward to reliving the same trauma over and over again.
Listening to Jen Green speak was hard. The subject was tough and I would be concerned if anyone actively enjoys hearing the traumas survivors of sexual assault have undergone. Yet, I was glad to meet her and know our speaker commits her worklife to aiding these women, and men. Knowing someone is there with the sole intent to help them, whatever they decide, fills me with hope for their recovery.
Lauren Moose
I learned a lot from Jen Green about what it is like and what it takes to be a forensic nurse. The main concern is about the patient and what they need the most. It is not about assessing them right away and trying to pull information from them. She speaks to her patients kindly and makes sure they know they are okay and safe first. Then she will try to understand what happened to them and ask them a few questions, and may have to ask a few times because of the trauma. It is important for the patient to feel comfortable and in control of their situation. Everything goes at their pace and needs. When going through the rape kit, the patient can decide what they want to give. Also, if the patient would rather swab and area that they don’t want anyone else to go near, they can. This can cause traumatization.
ReplyDeleteI knew about the freeze, flight, and fright, but haven’t heard of submit and thought it was interesting and can see how it is an actual thing. Your body choses to do the right thing to get out of a bad situation or to make it better so some people may take what it is going to happen to them so it won’t be worse if they try to fight back.
It was very interesting to listen to Jen Green speak about this topic because I haven’t heard much about it. Although, it was hard to hear some of the situations that some of her patients have been through. All these people need after a trauma is to heal and recover, and she helps in the process of this
Megan Manestar
The main thing I took away from this presentation was how to deal with the issue if someone comes to you after they have been raped/assaulted. There were many dos and don'ts that I never realized. The main thing I remember is never telling them what they should do no matter how much they ask about it. It's always important for the victims to take control of the situation and their bodies after everything had been violated.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that fascinated me was how these nurses are trained to deal with it. They are so patient and kind with the victims which is something that is super important. To let the victim take control of their bodies and their situation is wonderful.
I also was interested in what was in the rape kit. It was very nice for her to walk us through and tell us what the victim can choose to put into it. Overall, it was a very lovely presentation.
It was fascinating to hear from a professional in neuroscience, someone working directly in trauma centers. When thinking of sexual assault, my mind tends to think about court cases and the perpetrator being punished (or, in some cases, being let off unfairly). However, the act of being assaulted is an incredibly traumatic event, and it was interesting to hear how a professional handled that. Her work seemed incredibly difficult, and I was very impressed by how passionate and dedicated she seemed about navigating such a complex situation. It was especially interesting because she works not only as an expert witness to educate juries, but also works directly with the victims.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stood out to me was her background in both art education and nursing. At first, it does seem like an unlikely pairing, but it made sense to me. In art, one often has to think on their feet and come up with extraordinary ideas, as well as communicate them well to others. Especially as a teacher, she would need strong skills in speaking with others, as well as being able to relate to the struggles of students and how to best teach them the material. I think, in some ways, that translates to the incredible and difficult things asked of nurses. Nurses also have to think on their feet and have to have a strong sense of empathy to best take care of their patients. That was definitely something that stood out to me, at any rate, and I couldn’t help but think of it during the talk. Overall, it was amazing how communication could affect someone so strongly. For instance, how saying, “you’re safe” in repetition can help soothe a victim or how keywords can make a huge impact. I was deeply impressed by the ways in which every word an action was carefully considered to help calm down people after they experienced such horrific trauma.
I found it very interesting that both of our guest speakers came from a background in art. That really has nothing to do with either of their professions currently or my reflection about the information they presented us with, just found it to be a funny coincidence. I really enjoyed getting to hear from Jen Green. She had a great sense of humor and was clear very passionate about her profession. I would never consider being a forensic nurse, but I definitely think if you have the heart and will to help the population of people that are unfortunately faced with trauma, this job will always keep you on your toes and bring something new to the table every day. I also think at the end of the day it would be very rewarding to know the impact you have made on the lives of such women and men.
ReplyDeleteThe line and point that stuck with me most from Jen’s presentation was “why implies fault.” Not only is the statement true in the role of a forensic nurse, but I think in all aspects of life. This is a simple rule to apply in any situation where an individual feels the need to respond with compassion and authenticity. I also found it admirable that Jen’s approach when walking into patients room was one of self-empowerment and choice. She is extremely mindful of the trauma and experiences that her patients have been though, and is able to link their responses/reactions with scientific evidence.
I think the work that Jen does on a day to day basis takes a special person. She is making a difference in many individuals lives by providing care, empathy, knowledge, testimonies, and kindness in all that she does.
I found this speaker to be very engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about everything she did to help with people dealing with domestic violence. Another thing I really enjoyed learning about the rape kit. I had no idea that it took so long in other cities to process that long. I also found out that the rape kit could be put on pause when processing it. I really liked that idea for the victim because they can go forth when they are ready to. Something else that I found engaging was when she was talking about her medical to-do list is going to be different than the patient's concerns. Something that really stood out to me was that Jen never asks the patient why. I think this stood out to me because if you ask why the patient did something then you are in a way blaming them.
ReplyDeleteListening to Jen speak was at times challenging with the despair that she was briefly telling us. I am so glad that someone who is that passionate about domestic violence is in that field because I firmly believe that she is making a difference in these people's lives by just listening. I loved her enthusiasm that she had.
Becca T.
Jen is someone who has a very difficult job but is just the right person for it and excelled at what she does. Her presentation really spoke to me because nursing is the field I want to pursue in the future. Her specific field in nursing may not be the path I follow but was eye opening to learn about!
ReplyDeleteWhat she has to go through on the day to day basis really makes my everyday problems not seem like problems anymore. Before this presentation I had never thought about trauma besides what your body goes through with an accident of some sort. Now I have learned that trauma is anything that overwhelms a persons ability to cope. Trauma can be a range of different events and it differs from person to person as well. Jen’s job is to help someone heal from a traumatic event. The biggest event that she discussed working with is rape victims.
This part of the presentation I didn’t think I would be too informed about because it’s a subject pretty much known to everyone. Yet, there was so much I learned in this part. I had heard the word rape kit but never knew what it was. Not only did I learn about rap kits and what they were I was also shocked to hear it can take up to 200 days to get the results back from the lab. The last element I took from the presentation was how to talk to trauma victims. Making sure you don’t put any blame onto them in the way you ask questions is a major point Jen expressed.
-Trinity Morris
Today we heard from guest speaker, and forensic nurse Jen Green. She discussed with us different aspects of trauma and how she, as a nurse, works with patients who have endured some type of recent trauma. I really enjoyed her stories about some of her experiences and the aspects of her job that the typical nurse wouldn’t get to do. Because I am majoring in a healthcare profession, I was able to relate to several of the things she talked about in regards to treating patients, and even learned a few new skills I could use throughout my career. We have talked about trauma throughout my major classes, but not on such a deep level like we did today, so it was insightful to learn about how a trauma is personal to that individual, and that everyone reacts differently in situations.
ReplyDeleteBecause she works most commonly with victims of sexual assault, I was shocked to learn that most perpetrators are an acquaintance of the victim, and not a stranger that picked them up on the side of the road one night. I was also interested to learn about what was included in the rape kits, and that patients have many choices when it comes using the kits. I think her job is a very rewarding one, and I know she makes a difference in so many people’s lives everyday.
Understanding a person mindset on why they act a certain way is one of the main points I learn from our guest speaker forensic nurse Jen Green. constantly blaming a victim shuts them down and place them in a mindset of shame and despair. when speaking to a victim you should ask them "what if" not "why would you." When she explained that and went in details with her example of a women opening a door for her abuser, it all made sense to me. she stated that we either: fight, freeze, flight and submit. Submit was something I never thought of when it comes to our mindset of being in a bad situation. She said we submit when we know we cant get away and submitting would cause us less pain then fighting back. Hence on why that lady opened the door for her abuser. not only did I learn that I learned about the rape kit and how long it can take to process. If the victim doesn't want one done they can collect undergarments as evidence during the exam. All kits are brought to the crime lab but are only analyzed when the survivor makes a report to police. this could take weeks or months to achieve.
ReplyDelete-Christine Childs
ReplyDeleteJennifer Green gave a very unique presentation on details and her job description of forensic nurse. Matter of fact I was amazed that her background was about art and she was a nurse student in Avila University. I really learned a lot of what’s really going on in the ER departments around Kansas City. The presentation that was provided in class gave a clear idea about Trauma. and how we could be in a situation that leads to Trauma, also she gave a great example of communication with visitors of the ER. also, she mentioned respect the no which is a great tool to communicate with victim who been raped or assaulted. I have never thought of the amount of people who just showed up on hospitals raped/ assaulted I was a bit surprised. Also, the rape kit that she showed in class, I am thankful for that because you can go and process a law suit on whom ever done the issue. But at the same time some of the states might take a lot of time to process it. In Conclusion, I really learned a lot and I am really thankful for the opportunity to hear from Jennifer Green.
Before I heard Jen Green speak, I had no idea how much went it to getting justice for people who have been sexually assulted. It baffeled me how long it takes to get a rape kit analyzed. I knew there were some victims that refuse a rape kit but a part of me never understood why. But Jen talked about not feeling safe even though they are in a safe environment. When she talked about “respecting the ‘no’” I then understood that victims need to feel in control of themselves and their body.
ReplyDeleteI have been through some traumatic times, nothing compared to the victims of sexual assault but I was able to relate to some of the psychological issues that can occur when you have a traumatic experience. Jennifer Green works a very difficult job but does it proudly and helps people every single day and it was a pleasure being able to hear her speak.
Megan Duffy
I enjoyed the presentation from the forensic nurse and learning about the traumatic instances that she has gone thought. From working in a hospital, I could kind of relate to things that she was saying. I enjoyed hearing about the freeze, flight, fight, and submit. I keep thinking I know what I would be but she said that I would never understand until something traumatic happened. Also, hearing about how she changes a patients senses when she performs a rape kit on someone. She turns her Spotify on and she also puts a candle in the room. I had also seen Captain Phillips, so it was interesting to find out that the navy seals in the movie, were the same ones that saved the real Captain Phillips. I enjoyed seeing how they treated him and what it was similar to in a real life situation. I think a forensic nurse job would be difficult and to see patients every day that had gone through some type of trauma would be hard.
ReplyDeleteNikki Norton
When Ms. Green came in to come and talk to us about sexual trauma and people that were sexually assaulted by a man or a woman in their life. I was very interested when Ms. Green was talking about the fight, flight, submit, and freeze during her presentation. I don’t know how I would be in a serious situation and I don’t know if I would freeze, fight, flight, or submit but I think I would probably freeze in a serious situation. Another topic that Ms. Green talked about that was interesting was when she talked about the rape kit because there were many different tools or items that were used in order to see if a person was touched or sexually abused by a man or woman. The part that really surprised me was when she talked about a tool they used to scrape underneath the needs of victim to see if they can identify who the person is. So it was just really interesting to see the rape kit because I have never seen one in person and it really opened my eyes up to the different methods they used to get what they need in order to help the person. Also I was very surprised to hear that a rape kits can take up to a month or maybe a year to identify the person.
ReplyDelete-Kaleigh Taylor