UWM addresses shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing is set to launch a program on Saturday, April 22 aimed at training and retaining sexual assault nurse examiners in Wisconsin, where there is a notable shortage.

Funded by a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant, the program will train nurses to assist victims of sexual assault, incest or abuse.

Penninah Kako, project director and principal investigator for the UWM project, mentioned in a Thursday, April 20 press release the importance of culturally responsive care, as Black and Indigenous women, as well as LGBTQIA+ individuals, experience sexual assault at disproportionately higher rates.

According to UWM, there are fewer than 100 sexual assault nurse examiners in Wisconsin, with only a small percentage certified by the International Association of Forensic Nurses and coming from marginalized populations.

The UWM program was developed with the help of three practicing sexual assault nurse examiners to ensure trauma-informed, culturally relevant care. Partnerships with organizations in urban and rural Wisconsin aim to address the needs of marginalized communities.

The program will consist of 12 online modules, including a day of clinical lab experiences at UWM's nursing simulation centers. The goal is to prepare 10 nurses in the first year, expanding to 40 nurses by the end of the second year.

More details can be found online.