The NMU School of Nursing is collaborating with other local entities to offer a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training May 15-19 on campus. There are only two SANE-qualified professionals in the Upper Peninsula, so the goal is to increase that number to increase the likelihood of cases being prosecuted. There will also be a public presentation focusing on the role of SANE in human trafficking at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, in Mead Auditorium.

The SANE training is targeted toward RN-educated nurses with a minimum of two years’ clinical experience. It will include formalized lecture and hands-on practice in NMU labs with clinician oversight.

“The challenge is that most individuals in the U.P. would have to go quite a distance to be trained,” said Melissa Copenhaver, NMU nursing professor. “In many small communities, there’s fortunately not a lot of patients who require the services of a SANE. But there are still some. What happens is a nurse who’s done it trains the next person. They’re doing best they can, but it’s not full training. And without full training, cases often aren’t prosecuted. SANEs allow victims to have their day in court and make it more likely that there will be follow-through on the cases.”