The hypothesis of this study stated that student nurses who participate in an educational program on AIDS will have a more positive attitude towards AIDS patients. The sample was composed of 22 student nurses enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program in two different colleges. Nursing students' attitudes towards AIDS patients were measured by Barrick's "Unwillingness to Care for AIDS Patients Instrument." The population studied consisted of two groups: the experimental group, who had an educational course in AIDS and the control group, who did not. The t-test scores obtained from these two groups were found to be statistically significant at the 2.5045 level. The results of this study showed that knowledge acquisition about AIDS was related to student nurses having a more positive attitude towards AIDS patients. These results suggest a need for education about AIDS in nursing students as knowledge may result in the change of attitudes. It is the recommendation of this researcher that further research be done on this subject with a larger sample.

Abstract: This study investigated nursing student attitudes and knowledge about HIV/AIDS at different levels of study in nursing and the association between attitudes and knowledge. Participant attitudes were measured using the HIV Impact Questionnaire: Student Form. Knowledge was measured with questions adapted from Ferguson, Cox, Irving, Leiter, & Farnsworth' (1995) measure. A convenience sample of 146 baccalaureate students from a large Midwestern college of Nursing completed a self-administered questionnaire. Both knowledge (F=7.31, p=.001) and attitudes (F=5.80, p=.004) about HIV/AIDS significantly improved with year of study in nursing. There was a positive correlation between attitudes and knowledge (r=.31, p

Vols. for 1963- include as pt. 2 of the Jan. issue: Medical subject headings.