Her Story
About Sara
Sara Hayes is a forensic nurse and clinical educator whose 22-year nursing career reflects a rare combination of clinical excellence, educational leadership, and unwavering advocacy for vulnerable populations. She launched her career in cardiovascular intensive care, spending over a decade caring for critically ill post-operative heart and vascular surgery patients before pivoting into health science education, where she developed and grew a career and technical education program that became the largest of its kind in her school district — an achievement that earned her the Texas Health Occupations Association's New Health Science Teacher of the Year award in 2016. She returned to bedside emergency nursing full-time in 2019 and has since expanded her scope considerably, stepping into a Clinical Educator II role in 2024 and building a forensic nursing practice that now positions her as a subject-matter expert in sexual assault response, interpersonal violence, human trafficking, and trauma-informed care.
In her current dual role at The University of Texas Medical Branch, Sara oversees clinical education for a 52-member emergency department team while also serving as a Certified Adult and Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. Her impact extends well beyond the bedside — she has successfully reduced blood culture contamination rates below the national benchmark, co-led the integration of an evidence-based pediatric abuse screening tool into triage workflows, and championed the launch of both an on-call SANE program and a telehealth SANE initiative funded by the State of Texas. A passionate policy advocate, she has met with Texas state legislators and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz to advance victims' rights and push for expanded forensic nursing access in rural counties, and she was appointed to the Multi-County Interagency Coalition Against Sexual Assault, collaborating across multiple Texas counties to strengthen education and coordinated response.
Driven by integrity, adaptability, and resilience, Sara is deeply committed to closing the gap in forensic nursing availability — particularly in underserved and rural communities where victims are often forced to travel significant distances to receive specialized care. She holds a Master of Science in Forensic Nursing from Texas A&M University and is currently pursuing a second master's degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner, continuing to build upon a foundation of lifelong learning she actively encourages in others. She is a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, the Association for Nursing Professional Development, the International Association of Forensic Nurses, and the Texas Coalition for Forensic Nurses, and she volunteers with the Brazoria County Child Fatality Review Team and Unbound Now, an organization dedicated to combating human trafficking. Sara's career is a testament to what becomes possible when expertise, purpose, and persistence converge.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sara
01What do you attribute your success to?
My success is rooted in the incredible support system surrounding me. My parents have championed me throughout my entire life, and my husband has been a constant source of encouragement every step of the way. Beyond that, I simply refused to give up — even when others told me that what I was pursuing wasn't possible. That persistence has made all the difference.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is to never take no for an answer. When a door closes, pivot and find another way forward. There is always a path — sometimes it just requires creativity and the willingness to change direction without losing sight of the goal.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do not get discouraged, especially if you do not land your ideal role right away. Seek out experience wherever you can find it and treat every opportunity as a chance to grow. Absorb every bit of knowledge available to you and never stop learning — medicine and healthcare evolve every single day, and staying curious is what will set you apart and sustain your career over time.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The most pressing challenge in forensic nursing today is the significant shortage of qualified forensic nurses, particularly in rural communities. This gap directly affects victims of crime and violence, who are often forced to travel far outside their county just to access the specialized care and proper evidence collection they deserve. My focus is on addressing this disparity by helping train and expand the availability of skilled forensic nurses across underserved areas, ensuring that geography is never a barrier to justice or healing.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is at the core of everything I do — it guides how I care for patients, how I lead, and how I show up personally. Alongside that, I deeply value adaptability and resilience. Healthcare is unpredictable, and the ability to adjust, remain steady under pressure, and keep moving forward is essential both at the bedside and in life.
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