Their job can sometimes look like something out of a crime investigation TV show. After a sexual assault, they are the medical professionals who exam, treat and collect forensic evidence from a patient.

Sexual assault medical forensic examiners, or SAMFE, a term created by the Army, includes specially trained registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and doctors who perform sexual assault forensic examination, or SAFE, after an assault.

SAMFEs, said Florence Hare, N.P., Fort Drum Sexual Assault Medical Management Program manager, go through an intensive six-month training program.

"They spend two weeks in San Antonio at the (U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School) at Fort Sam Houston. While there, they spend 40 hours in the classroom really going over what sexual assault care is; a bulk of that is talking about the psychological impact of the assault, about the exam itself and how to conduct it," Hare said. "We really emphasize to them that this is a medical exam augmented by knowledge on how to collect forensics and discuss how we work with other partners in the care of the patient."

The second week of training is clinical, where students get the opportunity to perform a full SAFE on educational assistants and gain experience before the final test in which students perform a full exam.

A SAFE is the collection and detailing of the patient's recollection of the assault. It includes collecting their personal health history, the history of the assault itself in addition to a physical exam and assessment of the injuries and how they are going to be treated.

When students return to their home station, Hare said, they begin the rest of their six-month training where they work with an experienced examiner performing exams on real patients and building their skills before they are deemed competent.

Not only is the training rigorous, SAMFEs also are trained in the use of the DOD sexual assault evidence collection kit. The DOD kit, according to Hare, is much more robust than many state evidence kits, and the documentation is much more detailed.

Fort Drum SAMFEs currently perform SAFEs at Guthrie Ambulatory Health Care Clinic and at Carthage Area Hospital when an active-duty Soldier or Family Member has been sexually assaulted.

"Carthage is unique in that they have opened their doors and allowed our staff to come in when one of our beneficiaries is there," Hare said. "So we can come in and do the sexual assault exam once they have been medically cleared by the emergency room doctor."

Currently, when a beneficiary goes to the Samaritan Medical Center emergency room following a sexual assault, the patient will been seen by one of the hospital's specially trained New York state sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), who will use a DOD sexual assault evidence collection kit. But a new memorandum of agreement with SMC, according to Hare, will offer the same kind of opportunity as Carthage Area Hospital with Fort Drum SAMFEs conducting the SAFE.

Hare said having SAMFEs available to beneficiaries is helpful because they are able to relate to the patient, they have an understanding of what their life is like and what their experience is within the military medical system, and they are familiar with the Sexual Harassment / Assault Response Program, or SHARP.

Not every sexual assault case will result in a SAFE; the choice is up to the patient. But regardless if the patient chooses to have an exam done or not, or the report is restricted or unrestricted, the victim has the right to medical care.

SAMFEs represent just one part of the medical care that sexual assault patients are provided. In addition, the team consists of a sexual assault medical director, a sexual assault care provider, a sexual assault behavior health provider, and a nurse case manager.

Together, the team works to provide the individualized care that patients need. They also make sure that patients continue their care and adjust services as needed.

"We want them to report (the assault) either way so that we can get them the benefits afforded to them," Hare said. "But even if they choose not to report, we want them to know they can come to the SHARP Resource Center for care and support. There is a team of medical professionals specifically designed to help sexual assault patients get the care they need."

If you have been the victim of a sexual assault, you are urged to call the Fort Drum Hotline -- available 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- at 767-6128. Additionally, you can stop by the SHARP Resource Center located at 475A Tigris River Valley Road. Victims also can call the DOD SAFE Helpline at 1-877-995-5247; from there, they will be forwarded to an appropriate Fort Drum contact.