Duluth nurse honored for work with sexual assault patients

A Duluth nurse received international recognition for her work with victims of sexual assault on Tuesday morning, July 2.

Alisha Blazevic, RN, is a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). In her role, she and other SANEs care for and collect evidence from patients who have experienced sexual violence. Blazevic has served in this role since 2007 and works with the Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA).

The program’s SANE nurses are on call 24 hours a day, responding to emergency calls in four different emergency departments in Duluth and Superior. For her nearly 20 years of association with PAVSA, Blazevic was awarded the Distinguished Fellow Award by the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN).

Blazevic says her work can often be grim and that SANE isn’t for everyone. However, she says the impact she sees in patients is why she continues to work at PAVSA.

“As a nurse, helping in the emergency room, talking to and spending time with people who have been sexually assaulted, you see what a difference you can make,” Blazevic said.

She also attributes the successful performance of this difficult on-call role to the sacrifices of her wife and three children, although her wife Nicki Seibert disagrees.

“It’s not really a sacrifice because she loves it and we love her, so we don’t see it that way,” Seibert said.

Blazevic’s SANE work began on a voluntary basis and over the years she has conducted over 330 forensic examinations, peer reviewed over 1000 others and testified in criminal trials. Today she works as a PAVSA senior nurse.

Blazevic is one of only six people honored for their contributions to forensic nursing. The IAFN is an organization that spans 25 countries and has over 6,000 members who specialize in caring for patients who have experienced violence and trauma.