Attorney General Brenna Bird today highlighted the success of her office’s program for nurses who are trained to help victims of sexual assaults.
As part of a significant overhaul of the Victim Assistance Section under Attorney General Bird’s leadership, in November 2025 she hired a nurse to serve as the Sexual Assault Forensic Response Coordinator. The coordinator develops free essential training and technical assistance for specially trained nurses who help sexual assault victims. These nurses make sure victims receive supportive critical care and ensure proper evidence is collected and preserved. These nurses not only greatly assist victims, but also hospitals, doctors, and law enforcement.
The specialized training is a 40-hour classroom learning course, followed by supervised mock exams. The classroom training prepares registered nurses, advanced practice clinicians, and providers to give competent, compassionate, and evidence-based care to victims.
The Mock Examination Training provides practical clinical experiences designed to build on the knowledge gained during the 40-hour classroom learning course. Participants apply classroom learning in a supervised clinical setting to develop and demonstrate competency in forensic nursing skills. The courses were specifically designed to address feedback from nurses across Iowa that practical training was needed in addition to the 40-hour classroom-style training.
There are currently 231 qualified providers (nurses and MDs) approved by the Attorney General’s office in Iowa. Over the last 2 months, 35 new nurses have completed the 40-hour course to become qualified providers. Once they have finished the Mock Examination Training later this year and are approved, the number of qualified providers in Iowa will increase by 12%.
“One of the reasons I ran for Attorney General was to advocate for victims. The goal of this program is to train nurses to help people who have been sexually assaulted, a time when they are the most vulnerable,” said Attorney General Bird. “We want to help victims in every part of our state, especially in our rural counties. The Attorney General’s qualified provider training program is free. I’m very grateful for the hard work of our Victim Assistance Section and our experienced trainer.”
The special training has been happening all over the state. At Clarke County Hospital in Osceola, 8 nurses from Clarke and Pottawattamie counties completed the 40-hour training. All 8 of the nurses were new to the specialized training.
At Wapello County Hospital in Ottumwa, 20 nurses from Wapello County, Des Moines County, Marion County, and Van Buren County completed the training. In Audubon County Hospital, 7 nurses from Audubon County, Adair County, and Calhoun County completed the training. In the upcoming months, over 25 nurses are signed up for scheduled 40-hour courses in Fayette, Muscatine, and Union Counties.
Response to the training has been extremely positive from hospitals and nurses.
“Ottumwa Regional Health Center is proud to host Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner training for our nursing staff and nurses from across the region,” said Jessica Kendrick, Chief Nursing Officer. “This specialized training helps ensure that survivors of sexual assault have access to compassionate, expert care when they need it most. By expanding the number of trained nurses in our community, we are strengthening our ability to support victims, improve access to critical services, and enhance coordinated care. We are grateful for our continued partnership with local law enforcement and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office as we work together to expand access to this important resource. This effort reflects our ongoing commitment to our mission of Making Communities Healthier.”
The Attorney General’s office is currently scheduling more training across the state:
- September 30th and October 1st – Mock Examination/Skills (part two) in Clarke County
- October 6th – Human Trafficking Training in Mitchell County
- October 19th and 20th – Mock Examination/Skills (part two) in Marion County
- October 27th, 28th , November 3rd and 4th – 40- Hour classroom training (part one) in Muscatine County
- November 2nd, 9th, 23rd, and 30th – 40- Hour classroom training (part one) in Union County
- November 12th and 13th – Mock Examinations/Skills (part two) in Des Moines County
- December 2nd, 3rd, 9th and 10th – 40- Hour classroom training (part one) in Fayette County
Please contact Jodi Hayes at jodi.hayes@ag.iowa.gov for more information.
