The Development of an HIV Training Program for Nurse Practitioners

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nursing Education
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• A national shortage of healthcare providers specializing in HIV care exists due to the retirement of the first generation of specialists.
• There is a growing need for skilled nurse practitioners (NPs) capable of delivering comprehensive primary care to individuals with HIV and co-morbidities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a specialized training program for NPs in HIV primary care.
• To outline the program's goals, challenges, and progress in preparing NPs for advanced HIV management.

Main Methods:

• A 12-credit distance-based program was developed, incorporating coursework on HIV epidemiology, pathogenesis, psychosocial aspects, ethics, legal issues, pharmacology, and clinical management.
• Students completed 392 hours of HIV-specific clinical practice, in addition to standard NP clinical requirements.
• The program combines online didactic instruction with interprofessional faculty-led campus sessions.

Main Results:

• The program successfully established a unique, distance-based educational model for HIV primary care training.
• Progress has been made towards achieving the program's five overarching goals for NP competency in HIV care.

Conclusions:

• The developed program effectively addresses the need for specialized HIV care providers.
• This innovative training model enhances the capacity of NPs to manage the complex health needs of people living with HIV.