Educating advanced practice nurses to respond to the HIV pandemic

The subspecialization in the master's degree nursing program at Hunter College is preparing a cadre of nursing leaders and expert clinicians through formal didactic courses and clinical placements with master's prepared nurses who work in HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS subspecialty option is offered to graduate nursing students in all of the six specialties: medical-surgical, psychiatric-mental health nursing, maternal-child nursing, community health nursing, gerontological nurse practitioner program, and nursing administration. The terminal objectives for the graduate program serve as the framework for the terminal objectives of the subspecialty and primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention serve as the conceptual framework. The clinical aspect of the HIV/AIDS subspecialty content is coordinated within the specialization component in that the final advanced practicum in the student's specialty is with a master's prepared nursing preceptor who is caring for persons with HIV/AIDS.