Advancing HIV Nursing Practice: The Doctor of Nursing Practice HIV Specialty at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Abstract

The move to integrate HIV treatment and care into primary care is a major obstacle for the current U.S. health care workforce. Many HIV specialty providers will soon retire, while few primary care clinicians have been adequately trained in the diagnosis, care, and treatment of people living with HIV. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has supported the development of a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program with an HIV specialty at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, to assure successful transition to an HIV primary care workforce. The Rutgers School of Nursing has been at the forefront of the DNP education movement and is among the first to develop an HIV-focused DNP program. Thirty-seven students have enrolled in the 3-year program, and two have graduated from the first cohort. Here we discuss the planning, implementation, successes, and recommendations of the new program.