Hays Medical Center Nurse Receives International Award
Jessica Albers honored for exceptional contributions to forensic nursing specialty
July 15, 2024 – The International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) honored Jessica Albers, MFS, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P. with the Virginia A. Lynch Pioneer Award in Forensic Nursing, the Association’s highest award, at a presentation held at Hays Medical Center (HaysMed) in Hays, Kansas on Friday, June 28, 2024. Albers is Sexual Assault/Forensic Nurse Examiner at Hays Medical Center. The award is named for Virginia Lynch, known globally as the “mother of forensic nursing.”
Albers also serves the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence in several capacities: Continuing Nurse Education Program Coordinator, Statewide Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Clinical Consultant, and SANE/Sexual Assault Resource Team (SART) Instructor.
“Jessica is a leader and role model for forensic nursing in Kansas and has shown her commitment to the development of the specialty year after year,” said Jandi Head, Forensic Program Coordinator in Liberal, Kansas and the current Kansas IAFN Chapter President, who both nominated Albers and presented the award. “She has presented thousands of hours of training, extending both her knowledge and clinical skill to expand forensic nursing throughout the state. Jessica’s pioneering spirit has impacted countless patients’ lives and careers of nurses, and it has contributed to the overall specialty’s growth,” she said.
Albers was selected for the international award in recognition of exceptional contributions to forensic nursing, particularly her work focused on trauma-informed and patient-centered care, strangulation, suspect exams, sexual violence awareness and forensic nursing, as well as her dedication to evidence-based practice solutions and innovative approaches to meet the SANE shortage. Her forensic nursing expertise rests on not only clinical skills but also professional research and work in forensic science; in 2004, Albers worked as a graduate student in Iraq with the first wave of archaeologists and anthropologists who collected evidence that was used in the trial against Saddam Hussein.
Hays Medical Center’s President and CEO, Eddie Herrman praised Albers saying, “Jessica Albers embodies the excellence that defines HaysMed. Her unwavering commitment to forensic nursing and her compassionate care for patients set a high standard for our entire team. We are incredibly proud to recognize her outstanding contributions with this award.”
“Jessica is a pillar of expertise with a unique perspective of a nurse clinician and educator as well as a forensic scientist,” said Anne Boatright, MSN, RN, SANE-A, FAAN, IAFN president. “Our specialty is deepened and expanded by pioneering forensic nurses like Jessica, and it is truly an honor to recognize her contributions with forensic nursing’s highest award,” she said.
Albers earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a Master of Forensic Science from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She is a native of McCook, Nebraska and has worked in Kansas since 2001.
About HaysMed
Hays Medical Center (HaysMed) is a private, not-for-profit, 200+ bed hospital providing the only tertiary-level services in the region. As the premier provider in western Kansas for specialized care, HaysMed offers a wide variety of specialty programs including cardiology, orthopedics, cancer, surgery (general, minimally invasive and robotic), ENT, pulmonology, critical care and women’s services. HaysMed is a Level III Trauma Center and a certified Primary Stroke Center.
Other services include rehabilitation, hospice, neonatal, intensive care and diagnostic imaging, as well as a Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center and a Sleep and Neurodiagnostic Center. HaysMed is proud to be one of only 20 U.S. hospitals recognized by Vizient in 2023 as a Top Performer in the Complex Care Medical Center cohort. In 2022, HaysMed was named as one of the top 20 rural and community hospitals in the country by the National Rural Health Association. Learn more at haysmed.com.
About IAFN
The International Association of Forensic Nurses is a professional organization of approximately 6,000 nurses from 25 countries who provide specialized healthcare for patients impacted by violence and trauma. The Association establishes the standards of practice for forensic nursing; defines and advances the global research agenda to enhance forensic nursing’s evidence-based response; develops, promotes, and disseminates information about forensic nursing science; and serves as a global network for forensic nurses to exchange ideas, serve as mentors, and enhance their practice. Additionally, the Association offers board certification for sexual assault nurse examiners who care for Adult/Adolescent (SANE-A®) and Pediatric/Adolescent (SANE-P®) patients. For more information, visit www.forensicnurses.org
