Forensic Consultants of East TN PLLC

Forensic Consultants of East TN PLLC is a  female owned ,small business, dedicated to the advancement of forensic nursing and forensic nursing services in East Tennessee. We provide consulting services for forensic program development including; Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Death investigations, to name a few.  We offer training programs in a broad area of forensic nursing disciplines, including those mentioned above.  We are dedicated to providing organizations with the superior training only experienced professionals can offer.  We also offer other services beyond training and conferences, please see our services page. 

Nan Arseneault RN BSN BA SANE-A

email narseneault@forensicconsultofeasttn.com 

(Updated Bio Coming Soon)

Ginger W Evans RN MSN APN

email gwevans@forensicconsultofeasttn.com

BSN, East Tennessee State University 1970

MS, University of Tennessee 1977

MSN, University of Tennessee-Knoxville 1983

RESEARCH INTERESTS

TEACHING INTERESTS

• psychiatric mental health nursing   
• forensic nursing
• sexual assault nurse examiner training
• intimate partner violence

CLINICAL (PRACTICE) INTERESTS

• ANCC as Clinical Specialist in Adult Community Mental Health Nursing (TN licensed APN)
• Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, adolescents and adults (certified International Association of Forensic Nursing)   
• Danger Assessments, (certified Johns Hopkins University) 

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Mental health

• Mental Health Association Planning Committee for the 8th through the 12th Annual Psychiatric Symposium   Sept, 2004 -2010
• Knoxville Area Mental Health Association of East Tennessee, member, 2000 – present, Board member 2006-present
• Community Coalition against Family Violence, Board member, Education Committee, Member, 2002-2007 
• DV Fatality Review Panel, member, 2004 - present
  
  

Forensic Nursing

• Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, SAFE Center, Safe Haven, Knoxville, TN 2000-present, 300+ cases   
• Fatality Review Board, Knoxville, TN, 2005- to present 
• Community Coalition on Family  Violence, 2003-present 

SANE-SART Training Programs (40 hours program) presented to the following:  

March, 2006 Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, (25 nurses)

April, 2006 Blount Memorial Hospital, Maryville, TN, (9 nurses)

May-June, 2006 Safe Haven , Knoxville, TN, (10 nurses)

Oct, 2006 Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (10 nurses)

March, 2007 Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, (14 nurses)

May, 2007 New York Health and Hospitals Corp., Brooklyn ( 48 physicians and nurses)

Oct, 2007 Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, ( 9  nurses)  

March, 2008 Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (12 nurses)

Oct., 2008 Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (5 nurses)

Nov., 2008 NY Health and Hospitals Corp, Harlem (48 physicians and nurses) 

March, 2009 Tennessee Rural Sexual Assault Expansion Project (SANE training  Crossville): Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women grant # 2008-WR-AX-0018 (13 nurses)

May, 2009 Rutgers University, Newark, NJ  ( 6 nurses)   

Oct., 2009 Rutgers University, Newark, NJ (9 nurses)

Strangulation Presentations

Forensic Nursing Services, Sexual Assault and Strangulation Assessment, Knoxville Police Academy, January, 2005-2009.

KCSD, 15 in-service training presentations on strangulation, injury and DV, January-April 2007 

Danger Assessment Presentations

• Forensic Nursing, guest lecturer, MSN students, University of TN, September 8, 2009
• Danger Assessment and Implications for Safety, Community Coalition on Family Violence/Family Justice Center, Knoxville, TN, February, 2005.
• A Response to the Domestic Violence Question: Using the Campbell Danger Assessment, 30th Annual East TN Emergency Medical Symposium, Gatlinburg. TN, April, 2005.
• Violence in the Family, UT Child and Family Studies Department, Graduate class, April,  2005.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• American Psychiatric Nurses   Association, Tennessee Chapter
• International Association of Forensic Nursing
• Sigma Theta Tau, Gamma Chi Chapter

HONORS, AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS

• UT Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Academic Outreach, 2010 
  
• Academic Outreach UT Distinguished Award Nominee , 2008-09
• University of TN, College of Nursing Alumni Award For Excellence in Patient Care,  2008 
• American Psychiatric Nurses Assoc, TN Chapter, Excellence in Advanced Practice, 2008
• Anita Gregg Domestic Violence Community Service Award, Community Coalition of Family Violence,  2007      
• APNA Annual Meeting and Conference, first place Poster Award in Education, 2007                
• APNA, Tennessee Chapter, Excellence in Research APRN, PMH, 2005  
• APNA, Tennessee Chapter, Distinguished Service Award, 2004     
• Sigma Theta Tau, Gamma Chi Chapter, Community  Service Award, 1996

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Driscoll, R., Evans, G., Ramsey, G., and Wheeler, S. (2009). High test anxiety among nursing students.      Education  Resources Information Center. www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal  ERIC # ED506526.    

Gunther, M. Evans, G., Mefford, L., & Coe, T. (2007). The relationship between leadership styles and empathy  among student nurses. Nursing Outlook, 55,  201-206.

Groer, M., Thomas, S., Evans, G., Helton, & Weldon, A. (2006). Inflammatory Effects and Immune system Correlates of Rape. Violence and Victims. 21, 6, 796-808.

Helton, S. M., & Evans, G. W. (2001).  She looked just like me: The lived experience of BSN students in a domesticviolence learning module. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 22, 5, 503-516.

Evans, G. W., Helton, S.M., & Blackburn, L. (2001).  Students go to court: Experimental learning about domesticviolence. Journal of the American Psychiatric Association. 7, 3, 67-71.

Evans, G. W., Wilt, D. Alligood, M. R., & O’Neil, M.  (1998). Empathy: A study of two types.  Issues In Mental Health Nursing, 19, 5, 453-461.

Tuck, I., duMont, P., Evans, G., & Shupe, J. (1997). The experience of caring for an adult child with schizophrenia. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing., 11 ,3, 118-125.

Wilt, D., Evans, G., Muenchen, R., & Guegold, G. (1995). Teaching with entertainment films: An empathetic focus. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing, 3, 6,, 5-13.

Alligood, M., Evans, G., & Wilt, D. (1995).  King's Interacting Systems and Empathy, Advancing King's Framework and Theory for Nursing. Frey, M. and Sieloff, C. editors. Sage Publishing, California.

Sally Helton RN MSN APN

Ms.  Helton has 33 years experience as a psychiatric nurse and 27 years experience as a nurse educator.  She is ANCC certified as a clinical specialist in Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, is a certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE-A), and is a certified Danger Assessor.  She has practiced as a SANE for the past seven years, completed over 175 evidentiary exams, testified in court, and is a SANE training instructor.  She is active in the Coalition Against Family Violence, the YWCA Board of Directors and Victim Advocacy Program, and the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board.  She is currently Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee and is involved in research about domestic violence, abuse survivors, and the psychoneuroimmunology of rape.  She designed the Domestic Violence Learning Module (DVLM) for nursing students.  Over 1200 nursing students have completed the DVLM, attended support groups, managing emotions nonviolently groups, attended civil court to hear order of protection cases, and completed danger assessments.  She has done trainings about “living forensics”, injury, and strangulation to over 400 local emergency medical and law enforcement personnel.  She has done numerous presentations at state, national, and international psychiatric and forensic nursing conferences and has several publications. She is the recipient of The University of Tennessee Provost Excellence In Teaching Award, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Tennessee Chapter Award for Excellence in Education and the Community Coalition on Family Violence Anita Gregg Award for service.    

 PUBLICATIONS:

 Evans, G. W., Helton, S.M. and  Blackburn , L. (2001).  Students go to court: Experiential learning about domestic violence.  Journal of the American Psychiatric Association .7 (3) 67-70.

 Helton, S. M. & Evans, G. W. (2001).  She looked just like me: The lived experience of BSN students in a domestic violence learning module.  Issues in Mental Health Nursing.22(5) 503-516.

Groer, M.W., Thomas, S.P, Evans, G.W., Helton, S., and Weldon, A. (Dec. 2006). 

email shelton@forensicconsultofeasttn.com

Vicki Sickau RN BSN MA CFN

Ms. Sickau is a certified forensic nurse that has training in the area of medico-legal death investigations, sexual assault, emergency nursing, forensic psychiatric nursing, trauma nursing, healthcare law and forensic nursing.  She has experience as a deputy coroner / death investigator within her community. She holds a Master's in Criminology, with an emphasis in forensics.  She has training in evidence collection, forensic DNA collection as well as forensic photography.  She is a clinical educator / clinical practice specialist within the Emergency Department and also has experience working at Level I Trauma Center. She has helped local corporations design forensic forms and protocols to better serve emergency departments and the local community .  She has been a registered nurse for over 13 years and continues to strive for better processes to assist victims of violence  within the community.  We consider her an asset to our company.  If you would like to contact Ms. Sickau, you may do so by the email address listed below.

vsickau@forensicconsultofeasttn.com