Medical Information
*This information is also available on our phone message. To listen to the recording, call extension 5710 (507-222-5710 from off campus).*
Caring for yourself medically after a sexual assault is very important. Both the Carleton Wellness Center and Northfield Hospital can provide you with a physical examination, pregnancy prevention, prophylaxis for sexually transmitted infections, and can address any other medical concerns you may have. Care provided by the Wellness Center is free of charge to all students. To see a nurse in the Wellness Center, call extension # 4080, and tell the receptionist that you are calling about an issue of sexual harassment or assault to ensure that you will be scheduled immediately for an appointment. The phone number for Northfield Hospital is 507-646-1000. A friend or another support person can take you to the hospital or you can call Carleton Security at extension # 4444 to drive you. If you choose this option, a friend, support person or CAASHA advocate can still ride with you and stay with you at the hospital. If security is unable to provide transportation for any reason, the Wellness Center will reimburse you for a taxi ride. Taxi First Choice can be reached at (507) 645-4447
Beyond simply receiving medical care, you may also decide to have an evidentiary exam, in which a specially trained nurse will examine you and document any physical evidence of a sexual assault. Should you decide now or in the future to report to law enforcement or press charges, having evidence on file can help your case. Your exam will be paid for by either Carleton or Rice County.
Evidentiary exams must be performed at the hospital within 72 hours—three days—of the assault. They are performed by specially trained Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners, also called SAFE nurses. SAFE nurses are all female, and are on-call 24 hours a day. When you arrive at the hospital, inform the receptionist, and they will call the SAFE nurse on-call. She will come immediately to the hospital. You may have to wait about 30 or 45 minutes for her to arrive, so it can be nice to have a book, a friend, or a CAASHA advocate to keep you company.
During the exam, remember that you are in control. You may stop the exam at any point, ask questions at any time, and opt out of any part of the exam. Part of the exam involves collecting evidence from any clothing or bed sheets that may have organic evidence from the assault. SAFE nurses recommend that you wait until the exam to change out of the clothes you were wearing during the assault. If this is not possible, they suggest that you bring the clothes to the hospital in separate paper bags, which protect the evidence better than non-porous plastic bags. You will be asked to leave the clothes at the hospital, so it can be nice to bring a change of clothes you are comfortable in. The hospital can also provide you with clothing.
Getting an evidentiary exam does not mean that you are required to report the sexual assault to Carleton or to the police. The evidence collected in the exam is completely confidential unless you decide to share it. It will be stored on your behalf for up to one year.