What can my child expect during a Forensic Medical Exam?

This depends on the age and needs of your child. Please call the Delta Regional Child Advocacy Center at 906-789-5186 x 1 or 906-553-5812 to speak to an advocate about the CAC assisting in coordinating a forensic medical exam for your child or teen.

• To collect evidence of abuse

• To diagnose and treat injuries or sexually transmitted infections

• To assess for pregnancy

• To identify and document any forensically significant findings

• To identify any other medical conditions or psychiatric concerns.

• To provide reassurance to the child and family that his/her body is okay.

A nurse who is trained to perform pediatric SANE exams or a pediatrician who has received additional training in child abuse. By seeing a medical professional who has this additional training, this ensures your child receives the most trauma-informed and best care possible!

To receive a forensic medical exam coordinated by the Delta Regional Child Advocacy Center, we must be working with law enforcement or child protective services on your child’s investigation!

Are you not yet working with law enforcement or child protective services? You’re welcome to call us for questions!

The medical exam will take place in either the emergency room or a pediatrician’s office. The exam will include a medical and social history from the caregiver, as well as the child. The child will receive a thorough head to toe exam similar to a normal check-up at a pediatrician’s office.  This includes looking at their eyes, ears, mouth, skin, listening to their heart and lungs, and checking their abdomen. This exam will also include an external inspection of the genitalia and anal area to make sure they appear normal. It is important to understand that the child’s medical exam is different and less invasive than an adult pelvic examination. Though an exam is typically pain-free, occasionally lab work may need to be completed.

It is highly unusual for a preadolescent child to require an internal vaginal or rectal examination. It is important to understand that the child’s medical exam is different and less invasive than an adult pelvic examination.

If you’ve brought your child for care within the window for collecting evidence (120 Hours) , the exam may be more invasive.

A special video camera called a colposcope is used during the examination. This allows the nurse to see a child’s genital and anal areas more closely. The camera never touches the child’s body and is never felt by the child. The photographs may be taken during the exam to provide an accurate record of what the child’s body looks like at the time of the examination. While the camera does not touch the child, the nurse or doctor will have to touch the genital and anal areas with her hands. Some children will be checked for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy based on the clinic’s protocol.

Please bring a current medical insurance card for your child(ren) and any other medical documentation you feel is important for the provider to know. Children are encouraged to bring along a stuffed animal or blanket to help them feel more relaxed. For most children, the check-up is not scary.  Nevertheless, it is normal for your child to feel a little nervous, embarrassed or uncomfortable about the exam. The medical provider will explain each step of the check-up along the way, to reduce your child’s stress.