Nursing faculty and students' attitudes regarding HIV

A multidisciplinary group of health professional educators examined the faculty and student attitudes related to AIDS in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs and in a dental hygiene program. Results indicated consistent differences in attitudes toward homosexuality and intravenous drug users, AIDS-phobia, AIDS-related work stress, and willingness to work with HIV, homosexual, or intravenous-drug-using patients among faculty, undergraduate, and graduate nursing students, and certificate-level dental hygiene students. Faculty and master's-level nursing students consistently indicated the most positive attitudes and behavioral intentions. A one-year follow-up of a sample of undergraduate students revealed little change in these attitudes or behavioral intentions. Implications of these findings for nursing educators are discussed.