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Our Story

IAFN Baskerville Medallion_Orange_HighRe

What is 5.1.5 FoReNsics?

It’s a partnership that was founded by Shannon Knudsen and Michelle Collette. Keep reading…there’s more about us below! We offer training for professionals who come into contact with those impacted by sexual assault. We currently offer the initial Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) course and also a refresher course for those who have already attended the initial training. The 44.58 contact hour initial SANE training is offered 100% online!  We have been awarded the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) seal of approval for the initial SANE course. More information about IAFN approved education can be found at www.forensicnurses.org.

 

Our refresher course is offered as a hybrid option, with eight hours of the education completed on line prior to the live date which includes a mock trial and clinical experience with mock patients. In addition to providing education, we also provide expert consultation, expert witness testimony, program consultation and will soon be hosting webinars on a regular basis on a variety of topics.

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Where did our name come from?

Our name originates from the location where we received our initial nursing education, provided care to our first patients, joined our first Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) collaboration and where we put on our first forensic training together. Where is this exactly? 515 is the area code for Des Moines, Iowa where we spend a lot of our time. Oh and the capital R and N in FoReNsics? It looks funny for a reason! It represents our profession. We are both Registered Nurses.

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Why did we start 5.1.5 FoReNsics?

After both becoming members of 2 area SART teams, providing care to hundreds of patients ranging from infant to elderly and becoming triple certified in our specialty, we decided that there was still more left for us to do. We are extremely passionate about our specialty of forensic nursing and want to share it with anyone who will listen and especially those that are seeking to learn more. After spending years in this field we have discovered that there are too many impacted by sexual assault and not enough education or care givers. We want to help educate and train more! Still have questions? Want to talk to us about bringing a training to your area? Need a consultation? Contact us! Our email and phone is listed on our contact page. We’d love to hear from you!

 

Thanks for checking out our website!

 

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Our Bios​

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Shannon Knudsen, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P

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Shannon works with Mid-Iowa Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and Iowa State University/Story County SART as the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Coordinator. Additionally, Shannon serves a state wide technical assistance role for sexual assault examiner programs in the state of Iowa for Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Abuse.  Shannon has been practicing as a sexual assault nurse examiner since 2010 with Mid-Iowa SART.  She became the SANE Coordinator in 2011 for Mid-Iowa SART and 2014 for Story County SART.  Shannon assists with coordinating collaborative care at each of the nine exam sites served by Mid-Iowa SART and two exam sites in Story County, as well as developing policies and procedures and coordinating trainings to maintain the competency of Mid-Iowa SART and Story County SANEs. Shannon received her Associate of Science in Nursing from Mercy College of Health Sciences in 2002, and has extensive knowledge in women’s health. Shannon received her international SANE-A certification in 2012, International SANE-P certification in 2015, and International Certified Forensic Nurse (CFN) in 2016. Shannon has organized and trained the required 40 hour SANE training for nurses pursuing to become a sexual assault nurse examiner.  Shannon has presented at Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s statewide SART Summit, Ames SART Conference, Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, and Camp dodge military sexual assault training for advocates. She is also an adjunct assistant instructor at Des Moines University school of Medicine, and has additionally presented multiple times for Drake University, Simpson College, and numerous local high schools. She has been involved in the training of new SANEs at both the Iowa CASA and University of Iowa programs. Finally, Shannon is frequently invited to collaborate with other community SARTs across the nation and also provide expert witness testimony.

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Michelle Collette MSN, ARNP, FNP-C, RNC-OB, CCE, CEN, SANE-A, SANE-P

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Michelle works with Mid-Iowa Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) as the resource nurse and a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) for both the Adult and Pediatric teams. She also serves as a SANE on the Story County SART. Michelle has been practicing as a SANE since 2008 with Mid-Iowa SART and since 2014 with Story County SART. Michelle received her Masters of Science in Nursing from Allen College, Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honors from the University of Iowa and her certificate in Legal Nurse Consulting from Duke University. Michelle received her International SANE-A certification in 2012, International SANE-P certification in 2015, and Certified Forensic Nurse (CFN) in 2016. In addition to being a SANE, Michelle also works in labor and delivery, in the emergency room, and has been consulted to provide expert witness testimony with a focus on forensic nursing. Michelle holds additional certifications as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-C), Emergency Nurse (CEN), Inpatient Obstetrics (RNC-OB) and as a Childbirth Educator (CCE). She was recently recognized as one of Iowa’s 100 Greatest Nurses and was the 2018 recipient of the Emergency Nurses Association Foundation Endowed Master's Scholarship. Michelle is a member of the International Association of Forensic Nurses, The American Association of Nurse Practitioners, The Emergency Nurses Association, The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses and the Iowa City chapter of Sigma Theta Tau.

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