HIV / AIDS Nurse – Career and Education Profile

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HIV/AIDS nurses work with patients dealing with or at risk for developing this medical condition, which is deadly if not treated, but can be effectively managed with proper care.

Job Responsibilities

AIDS is a deadly, incurable disease that patients contract from HIV, a virus that you can get from swapping bodily fluids with someone else who has AIDS or HIV. As a nurse working in this field, you’ll work with patients to deal with this medical condition, which can include everything from teaching families how to prevent the spread of AIDS to helping patients deal with the emotional stress of contracting this disease. Your nursing tasks could also include more general nursing tasks such as recording vital signs and administering medicine, all while being careful not to come into contact with a patient’s bodily fluids, as HIV/AIDS is highly contagious. Some HIV/AIDS nurses work in education and prevention as well, and you can also work in a research setting to search for advanced treatment and a cure for this condition.

Salary and Career Options

A number of factors can expect the salary you’ll receive as an HIV/AIDS nurse. According to reports, you can expect to earn around $50,000 annually in this field, though HIV/AIDS nurses who have advanced education through bachelor’s degree or master’s degree programs. You can also work as a travel nurse in this field, which is an especially quick-growing field as the population with HIV or AIDS in third-world countries is extremely high.

Educational Requirements

You can get started working as a nurse by becoming an LPN, but if you want to specialize in HIV/AIDS nursing, you should consider getting an advanced degree. Your classes will focus both on general nursing tasks and on skills relating to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. Your education will also include clinical work so you get hands-on training in this field.

LPN to RN College Programs

While several schools have online nursing degrees available, few offer LPN to RN programs. What's the good news? We have listed some accredited schools below that do offer the program in addition to schools with other bridge programs available. Find out more information and contact each school by using any of the links below.

Indiana State University—Indiana State University offers a robust online program designed for LPNs wanting to become registered nurses and earn their BSN degree. Since ISU's credits transfer to over 80 campus majors, this is an ideal program for people wanting to open opportunities for their career down the road.

The College Network—The College Network is a partnership with several universities and organizations like the National League for Nursing that focuses on online education and programs, with several courses for nurses or those interested in a nursing career. Specifically, TCN helps students prepare for their PN and RN licensures and move on to earn graduate degrees.

Other Nursing Degrees

Walden University—Walden University is typically a graduate school with several masters and doctoral programs available, but they do have BSN and RN to MSN bridge programs available. Walden is based out of Minneapolis and offers several options in transferring your previously earned credits to and from (or even within) the school.

Kaplan University—Kaplan University is one of the nation's largest and leading online educators and offers several bridge programs for registered nurses to earn their BSN or MSN degree. If you have previously earned credits, Kaplan makes it easy for you to transfer to any one of their undergraduate or graduate programs.

Herzing University—While Herzing University does not offer an undergraduate nursing degree, it is a great choice for working nurses wanting to pursue leadership positions in Nurse Education or Management. With over 10 campuses and 45 online programs available, Herzing has a massive network that makes it easy to transfer to or from the school.

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