Implementation of a Standardized National HIV Curriculum in a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program

Abstract

Background: Although efforts have been made to improve and integrate an HIV curriculum in schools of nursing, little has been done to standardize the integration of competencies related to HIV care in primary care nurse practitioner (NP) programs. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of integrating the 6 core competencies from the National HIV Curriculum (NHC) on NP students' perceived knowledge about HIV care. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre/posttest design that measured NP students' self-perceived knowledge of the 6 core competencies from the NHC. Results: A total of 375 student NHC training sessions were implemented across 5 semesters (fall 2019 through fall 2021 academic years). In each of the 3 courses that integrated the NHC, there were statistically significant increases in student knowledge from pre- to posttest for each of the 6 competencies. Conclusion: This project supports using a standardized HIV curriculum as part of primary care NP curricula.

Curriculum and Competency Guidelines for the Advanced Care Practitioner in Infectious Disease

“…Training programs for ACPs within a focused area in ID have been described. Most of these programs relate to HIV care either as a stand-alone effort or integrated into a general curriculum [ 33–36 ]. Hayes et al reviewed the impact of integrating coursework on HIV care into NP training programs.…”

“…Hayes et al reviewed the impact of integrating coursework on HIV care into NP training programs. Their curriculum was integrated into an NP primary care curriculum [ 33 ]. McGee et al at Duke implemented a training program for NPs providing primary care to persons with HIV.…”