Specially-trained nurses will now be able to carry out examinations on victims of sexual assault to help gather evidence of crime.
Previously, only doctors could gather forensic evidence that could be used in Scottish courts. This caused issues including delays due to a shortage of qualified medics, having to travel to be assessed, and limited access to female doctors.
After a pilot, the Lord Advocate - who is Scotland's top law officer - approved the rollout in March and now nurse sexual offence examiners can support and examine survivors of sexual violence while providing trauma-informed care.
Public health minister Maree Todd said the introduction of the nurses was a "significant milestone".
Nurse examiners have worked in the USA and Canada for many years and were introduced in England in 2001.
A report by HM Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland published in 2017 said services lagged behind other parts of the UK.
At the time, the chief medical officer set up a task force to improve physical and mental health support for survivors of sexual assault who may be reluctant to go to police in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event.
It took until March this year for the law to be changed so that nurses can both carry out physical examinations and give evidence in court.
It is hoped the appointment of nurse examiners will increase the overall workforce, particularly in remote and rural areas, which have struggled to recruit staff in these roles and sometimes relied on private forensic doctors to deliver care.
Health boards already provide specialist Sexual Assault Response Coordination Services (SARCS) where victims can self-refer or be referred on for an examination without having to make a report to police.
Staff are trained to carry out sensitive physical examinations, documenting and interpreting injuries as well as providing psychological support.
West of Scotland Sexual Assault Referral Coordination Service sees around 600 people a year. They can store forensic samples for 26 months while victims decide whether they want to report a crime to police.
"I think it's really important to have choices," said Dr Deborah Wardle, lead consultant for the service.
"When something like this has happened it can be completely overwhelming. Sometimes it is just processing the circumstances of what has happened to them, they just need a little bit of breathing space, so it means there is the opportunity to take that biological evidence there because we are able to store them."
Dr Wardle said most of those who experience sexual violence are females although they do see all genders in the services.
"We see the tip of the iceberg", she said. "We know from crime surveys that most people who experience sexual violence don't make a disclosure."
She said she hoped this move would help boost the number of examiners across Scotland, in particular more females, in order to make the service more accessible.
Campaigners said the rollout was long overdue.
Rape Crisis Scotland's external affairs manager, Nicola Love, said it was important nurse examiners were widely available "so that we don't still see these geographical gaps where the service might be really good in one area and completely lacking in another".
Public health minister Maree Todd said: "It is crucial for any survivor of rape or another sexual offence to be able to access the support they need, in the way they need it.
"Expanding this specialist nursing role means more survivors will be cared for by compassionate, highly-trained professionals. It also means these specialist nurses will be able to give opinion evidence in court."
Implementation of the national rollout will be incremental, as health boards integrate the nurses into their workforce.
Nurses will need to complete the required training through the postgraduate advanced forensic practice course at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, and ongoing forensic skills labs, both funded by the Scottish government.