Forensic & Medical Services
Forensic Nurse Examiners At Victim Service Center Support Survivors with Dignity and Precision
What Is a Forensic Nurse Examiner?
Meet Our Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNEs)
Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNEs) are registered nurses with advanced training in providing specialized medical care and forensic examinations for individuals who have experienced sexual assault or other forms of violence. Their role is both clinical and compassionate—ensuring your immediate health needs are met while also preserving evidence should you choose to report the assault.
Compassionate, Confidential Care
Expert Care at Victim Service Center
If you’ve experienced sexual assault, a Forensic Nurse Examiner is available to support you with dignity, respect, and compassion. FNEs are trained to respond with sensitivity and without judgment. They understand the physical and emotional impact of trauma and will always prioritize your comfort, consent, and autonomy.
Private, Safe Environment
You’ll be cared for in a secure, confidential space where your voice is heard and your choices matter.
Medical attention
An FNE will assess any injuries, address your immediate health needs, and offer preventive treatments for STIs and pregnancy, if desired.
Support & Referrals
You’ll receive information about your rights, available resources, and follow-up care—including counseling and advocacy services.
Professional Services
Forensic Collection
VSC is the certified Rape Crisis Center for Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties. In Orange and Osceola Counties, our team of Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNEs) provide 24/7 on-call forensic examinations and medical services for survivors ages 12 and older. A VSC crisis counselor will provide the survivor with accompaniment and emotional support throughout the forensic collection process. All information provided to the crisis counselor is considered confidential per Florida Statute 90.5035.
A sexual assault forensic collection (also known as a “rape kit”) is used to gather evidence that may have been left in or on the body following a sexual assault.
A forensic exam cannot determine if a sexual encounter occurred, nor if it was consensual or nonconsensual.
A forensic exam can be performed up to 120 hours after the sexual assault.
- Your safety is the top priority. If you are in danger, please call 911.
- If you are considering having an exam done, time is essential to the collection of evidence. Your first instinct may be to take a shower and clean yourself. It is best for evidence collection to not shower or bathe, brush your teeth, change your clothing, or wash your hands prior to the forensic exam. If possible, try not to use the bathroom, eat, drink, or take medication unless it is necessary for your health. Although these are best practices for evidence collection, a forensic exam can still be done even if you have already done some or all of these things but are still within the 120-hour window.
- Call the VSC 24/7 helpline to ask any questions about your situation and the exam at 407-500-HEAL (4325).
A Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNEs), who is a nurse that is trained to collect forensic evidence, conducts forensic exams for VSC.
VSC operates two confidential forensic exam locations: one in Orange County and one in Osceola County. If an individual requires hospitalization, a forensic exam may be performed by a VSC FNE within the hospital setting.
- If you are 18 years old or older, you are not required to report the sexual assault to law enforcement in order to obtain a forensic exam. For anyone under the age of 18, it is not possible to get a forensic collection completed without reporting the sexual assault.
For forensic exams that are completed without a report to law enforcement, the evidence will be stored for 50 years without identifying information on the outside of the kit in order to ensure your privacy. This evidence will be available for testing if you choose to report the sexual assault in the future. Per Florida statute, non-report kits are not tested.
VSC FNEs can provide basic first aid, emergency contraceptives, antibiotics for common STIs, as well as referrals to other agencies for HIV preventative services and STI testing.
There is a maximum window of 90 days in which a forensic exam kit must be tested. You will be able to track the processing of your kit using the Track Kit system. Once testing has been completed and results are available, your detective will contact you to let you know the results. You will not see the results in the Track Kit system, but rather a message that results are available. There is a maximum window of 90 days in which a forensic exam kit must be tested if reported to law enforcement.
A sexual assault exam can only be conducted within 120 hours (5 days) of the assault. If more than 120 hours have passed, you may still be eligible for additional support and services through the Victim Service Center.
VSC provides forensic exams free of cost to survivors.
If you have any other questions about the forensic exam process, please call our 24/7 helpline at 407-500-HEAL (4325) to speak to an advocate.
