Comfort levels of nursing faculty regarding student assignment to a patient with AIDS

Introduction. AIDS is a major public health concern. A review of the literature suggests that many nursing faculty members may have little experience caring for patients with AIDS and that relatively little research has been conducted to examine the reactions of nursing faculty to the care of these patients. Purpose. This study, based on Peplau's interpersonal theory, was designed to examine the comfort levels of clinical nursing faculty regarding student assignment to a patient with AIDS. Methods. The survey method was utilized. A non-random sample of nursing faculty was asked to complete the Nursing Care Comfort Scale and a biographic questionnaire. Nursing faculty invited to participate in the study were those who provided on-site clinical supervision to non-RN baccalaureate nursing students. The nature of clinical supervision lay within the scope of the Nursing Care Comfort Scale. The sample was drawn from three baccalaureate programs in the northeastern region of the United States. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Data/results. Data analysis showed that the vast majority of faculty members surveyed had cared for a patient with AIDS and that they were comfortable anticipating the supervision of a nursing student assigned to provide care to a patient with this diagnosis.