A national survey of AIDS education in schools of nursing

This survey was undertaken to determine how nursing school curricula have been impacted by the dramatic increase in Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The purpose of the study was to determine the status of current AIDS-related curricular offerings in associate degree, diploma, and baccalaureate National League of Nursing (NLN) accredited schools of nursing. A random sample of 547 of the nation's 1,073 NLN-accredited nursing programs was selected and surveyed by mail. Usable questionnaires were returned by 366 schools, representing a 67% response rate. Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia were represented in the sample. Responses were received from 47 states and the District of Columbia. The survey instrument was researcher-developed with expert review. Ninety-eight percent of respondent schools were including some AIDS content in their curricular. Didactic teaching methods were used more often than affective and behavioral ones. Seventy-two percent of respondents reported spending five or fewer classroom hours on AIDS-related content. No statistically significant differences were found in the amount of time devoted to AIDS in associate degree, diploma and baccalaureate curricula.