Nurses with AIDS

[HappyJaxRN]

I was thinking about this yesterday. I remember back in the 80's when you had the great plague if you had AIDS and working in the medical field was a big no-no, unless you worked with other AIDS patients. I know there has to be tons of people out there working with AIDS....Is there still a huge problem with healthcare workers who have AIDS working? Do they have to proclaim that they have AIDS? How does that work?

(Remember that PA that had AIDS on ER? She was treated like a lepper...How sad).

[RN34TX]

I'm sure that there are plenty of HIV+ health professionals out there.

I've never known any, at least any that it was public knowledge that they were HIV+ but I'm sure I've worked with them and just never knew about it.

[fergus51]

I can't imagine a healthcare worker openly proclaiming they had HIV. In my experience healthcare workers are no less likely to stigmatize people with HIV and I can't imagine they would welcome an HIV positive colleague.

[RN34TX]

I can't imagine a healthcare worker openly proclaiming they had HIV. In my experience healthcare workers are no less likely to stigmatize people with HIV and I can't imagine they would welcome an HIV positive colleague.

Exactly. Which is why I think that I would have to be an idiot to believe that just because it's never been brought to my attention, that I couldn't possibly have ever worked with an HIV+ nurse, MD, CNA, whatever.

But then again, many of us still claim that we have no gay people in our families or living in our neighborhoods either simply because it's never been brought to our attention.

[tlhubbard]

I would think that forcing someone to disclose that information would be discrimination. The only instance I could see, might be where health insurance requires a medical history before they will cover an employee. The other consideration might be where the potential employee knows the condition may keep them from being able to carry out all aspects of the job description.

With universal precautions in place (not in the 80's though), I would think that we are reasonably safe. I've had older patients say "You don't have to wear gloves, I don't have anything" And even though I am healthy, my reply is, "But this protection is for you as well as me. You don't know when your healthcare provider is ill" They usually appreciate this info and no longer look at the gloves as an offensive thing.

[Kelly_the_Great]

I know a nurse who is HIV (+) and she is one of the best nurses (and persons) I have ever known.

I don't know if anyone else knows or not. No one around us has ever mentioned it. If someone did metion it, I wouldn't act as if I had knowledge of it and I would attempt to redirect the focus of the conversation in a direction away from her and towards principles they should already be familiar with such as discrimination, confidentiality and universal precautions (tx. everyone as if).

I do remember her position was eliminated at a facility we both worked at during cutbacks once. I always felt like it was b/c of her condition and not the lack of need for her particular job in the company.

She has since moved on to much bigger and better things though. :) When one closes another opens, eh?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

As nurses don't exchange blood and body fluids with patients and coworkers it's no big deal and no one's business.

I've know several nurses come out and say they have hepatitis (with the same mode of transmission as HIV), but none who admitted HIV. Probably because of the stigma and fear still associated with it.

[Want2baRN]

I read this and I think it is an interesting topic. I personaly don't think a HIV+ RN should be fired/not hired because of their HIV status. I found this old new topic though

http://www.aegis.com/news/ads/1993/ad931182.html

One of the five infected with HIV was a 66 year old granmother.