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 in Orange and Osceola Counties and survivors ages 18 and older in Seminole County. 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 exam is a medical-forensic exam offered 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.
Forensic exams at VSC are conducted by Forensic Nurse Examiners, also called FNEs. FNEs are registered nurses with specialized training in caring for patients after sexual assault, documenting medical findings and injuries, and collecting evidence when appropriate.
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, or five days, after the assault.
Even if more than 120 hours have passed, you can still contact VSC for support, advocacy, referrals, and information about your options.
Usually, no. You should go to an emergency room or call 911 if you are experiencing a medical emergency, have serious injuries, or need urgent hospital care.
If you do not need emergency medical treatment, you do not have to go to an emergency room before receiving a forensic exam. You may come directly to VSC, or if you would like to report to law enforcement, you will typically do this first and then come to VSC.
Forensic exams at VSC are provided at no cost. You do not need health insurance to receive an exam, and you will not be asked to provide insurance information.
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 your clothing
- Use the bathroom
- Eat or drink
- Take medication unless it is necessary for your health
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 collection window. Please do not delay necessary medical care or avoid doing something that is important for your health or safety.
If you are 18 years old or older, you do not have to report the sexual assault to law enforcement in order to receive a forensic exam.
If you are under the age of 18, mandatory reporting laws apply. A report must be made to the appropriate authorities before a forensic collection can be completed. VSC staff will explain what this means and help you understand the process.
If you complete a forensic exam without reporting to law enforcement or requesting that the evidence be tested, your kit will be stored anonymously for at least 50 years. Identifying information will not appear on the outside of the kit to help protect your privacy.
The kit will not be tested while it remains a non-reporting kit. If you later decide to report the sexual assault or request testing, the evidence may be submitted for testing at that time.
No. You do not have to complete a forensic evidence collection kit in order to receive medical care at VSC.
An FNE can explain your options, and you may choose which parts of the exam and medical care you feel comfortable receiving. You may also stop or decline any portion of the exam at any time.
Yes. VSC Forensic Nurse Examiners can provide basic first aid, emergency contraception, antibiotics for common sexually transmitted infections, 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 following a possible exposure. VSC will help connect you with a pharmacy partner for the remaining course of medication and follow-up care.
No. VSC does not provide testing for sexually transmitted infections, also called STIs.
A Forensic Nurse Examiner may be able to provide preventive medication for certain common STIs and can connect you with local healthcare providers or community resources for STI testing and follow-up care.
If your sexual assault is reported to law enforcement or you request that your evidence be tested, the kit must generally be submitted to a statewide criminal analysis laboratory within 30 days. The laboratory must complete testing within 120 days after receiving the kit.
You can use Florida’s Track-Kit system to follow the location and processing status of your kit. Track-Kit may show whether testing has been completed and whether a DNA match has occurred, but it will not display a full laboratory report or detailed test results.
The detective or law enforcement agency assigned to your case can provide additional information about the results and what they may mean for the investigation.
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 a forensic exam.