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Academy of Forensic Nursing - Bell Work TalksAuthor: Kathy Bell
Podcast by Kathy Bell Language: en Genres: Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode 73: Forensic Nursing & Workplace Violence Response
Tuesday, 31 March, 2026
In this Bell Work Talks, Kalen Knight discusses how the hospital-based forensic nurse examiner program he works for incorporated response to workplace violence events into their services, including a program centered on responding to employees assaulted by patients and/or visitors while performing their duties, as well as initiating an employee assistance program aimed at helping colleagues experiencing IPV/DV in their personal lives with safety planning while at work and safely away from their abuser. Kalen Knight currently works in State Government, assisting with death investigations and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases within his State. Additionally, he is a practicing SANE-A at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska as well as a Medicolegal Death Investigator in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Kalen earned his Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Master of Business Administration from Nebraska Wesleyan University, and his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Clarkson College. He has his Certification in Emergency Nursing, certification as an Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, and is a certified Diplomat of the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. Kalen's nursing background includes emergency department, trauma, infectious disease, biocontainment/quarantine, nursing clinical education, and forensic nursing. Prior to Kalen’s transition to government work, Kalen coordinated a hospital-based Forensic Nurse Examiner Program and supervised a team of 30 Forensic Nurse Examiners who responded to cases of Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault, Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence, Human Trafficking, and Elder Abuse. The team provided in-person response to two metropolitan hospitals, as well as telehealth response to two rural hospitals. During Kalen’s tenure, he added two new services to the program: 1) Forensic nursing response to employees of the health systems physically or sexually assaulted by patients and/or visitors, and 2) An employee assistance program, called SOAR, that provided workplace safety planning and coordination of person safety planning for employees experiencing DV/IPV in their personal lives and needing a safe place away from their abuser for safety planning. Resources: There is no need to start from scratch! If listeners have interest in starting similar programs, please reach out to Kalen Knight and he is willing to share resources! Kalen can be contacted at kalen.knight@nebraska.gov. Survey: We’d really like to learn more about what you think of the podcast, and what you’d like to hear in future episodes. https://forms.gle/dos4a11PEmCgth7Z8
