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. Our team of Forensic Nurse Examiners (FNEs) provides 24/7 on-call forensic examinations and medical services for survivors ages 12 and older in Orange and Osceola Counties, and for survivors ages 18 and older in Seminole County. A VSC crisis counselor provides 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 exam is a medical-forensic exam completed after a sexual assault. During the exam, a Forensic Nurse Examiner can provide medical care, assess and document injuries, collect evidence when appropriate, and discuss options for follow-up care and support.
The evidence collection portion of the exam is sometimes called a “rape kit” or forensic collection kit.
Not always. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, have serious injuries, or need urgent medical care, you should go to the emergency room or call 911.
If you do not have injuries or medical needs that require hospital care, you do not need to go to the emergency room before receiving a forensic exam. You may contact VSC or law enforcement to start the process.
An FNE cannot definitively determine whether sexual contact occurred or whether it was consensual or nonconsensual. The FNE’s role is not to decide whether a sexual assault happened, but to provide trauma-informed medical care, assess and document injuries, collect evidence when appropriate, and support your health and safety.
It is best to come in as soon as you are able. At VSC, forensic evidence collection may be available up to 120 hours after the assault.
A sexual assault exam can only be conducted within 120 hours 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.
Your safety is the top priority. If you are in immediate danger or need emergency medical care, please call 911.
If you are considering a forensic exam, it is best to come in as soon as you are able. If possible, try not to shower or bathe, brush your teeth, wash your hands, change clothes, use the bathroom, eat, drink, or take medication before the exam, unless it is necessary for your health or safety. These steps may help preserve evidence.
However, if you have already done some or all of these things, you can still receive a forensic exam as long as you are within the 120-hour window.
You can call VSC’s 24/7 helpline at 407-500-HEAL (4325) to ask questions about your situation, your options, or what to expect during the exam.
A forensic exam is conducted by a Forensic Nurse Examiner, also called an FNE. An FNE is a registered nurse with specialized training in caring for patients after sexual assault, documenting medical findings, and collecting evidence when appropriate.
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.
VSC provides forensic exams free of cost to survivors.
If you are 18 years old or older, you are not required to report the sexual assault to law enforcement in order to receive a forensic exam.
If you are under the age of 18, VSC is required to follow mandatory reporting laws. This means a report must be made before a forensic collection can be completed.
For forensic exams completed without a report to law enforcement, the evidence will be stored for 50 years without identifying information on the outside of the kit to help protect your privacy. This evidence will be available for testing if you choose to report the sexual assault in the future. Per Florida statute, non-reporting kits are not tested unless a report is made to law enforcement.
VSC Forensic Nurse Examiners can provide basic first aid, emergency contraception, antibiotics for common STIs, and referrals for follow-up medical care and STI testing.
If you come to VSC within 72 hours of the assault, VSC may also be able to provide a starter pack of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, also called PEP. PEP is medication that can help reduce the risk of HIV after a possible exposure. VSC will help connect you with a pharmacy partner for the remaining course of medication and follow-up support.
Yes. You do not have to complete a forensic evidence collection kit in order to receive medical care at VSC.
A Forensic Nurse Examiner can explain your options for medical care, including emergency contraception, prevantative antibiotics for common STIs, and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, also called PEP, if you are within the recommended timeframe. You are allowed to choose which parts of the exam you do or do not want to complete.
If you report to law enforcement, your forensic exam kit may be submitted to a laboratory for testing. Under Florida law, law enforcement generally has 30 days to submit the kit to the lab, and the lab must complete testing within 120 days after receiving the kit.
You can use the Track-Kit system to track the location and processing status of your kit. Track-Kit will not show the test results themselves. If results become available, you will see a status update in Track-Kit, and the detective assigned to your case should contact you to discuss the results.
If your kit was collected without a report to law enforcement, it will be stored and will not be tested unless you decide to make a report in the future.
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.