A Comparison of the Certification System for Nurses in HIV/AIDS Care among the U.S., the UK, and Japan

외국의 에이즈 전문간호사제도 비교 연구;미국, 영국, 일본을 중심으로

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the role and the certification system for nurses working in HIV/AIDS care among the U.S., the UK, and Japan. Method: The searching for the internet website and literature was used and visiting the institutes and interviewing the key informants were done from August, 2006 to February, 2007. Results: In the U.S., there are two types of nurse specialist in HIV/AIDS care. One is the HIV/AIDS Certified Registered Nurse which is without any academic degree requirement, and the other is the Advanced HIV/AIDS Certified Registered Nurse which requires master level degree and 5 years career. There are three level of nurses' role in HIV/AIDS care in the UK. Also, the National HIV Nurses Association of the UK developed generic competencies and specialist competencies according to this three level of nurse's role. In the case of Japan, the certification system is not formalized yet, but the AIDS coordinator nurses are working as a specialist in the Japan International Medical Center. Conclusion: Based on this result, it is suggested that the comprehensive role of nurses in HIV/AIDS should be developed under the governmental support.