For Washington Healthcare Professionals
By Judith Kohnen, RN, CHTP, SC-C, CRM
Contact Hours = 7
Pharmacotherapy Hours = 2
Course Completion
To complete this course read over all of the chapters and when you feel ready click the Course Exam button on the left. This will prompt you to create a free account if you have not already. From here you can take the test as many times as you want until you get a passing score. Each test submission will reveal which answers you submitted that were incorrect and which chapter contains the information to answer the corresponding question correctly.
Course Purpose
To provide Washington State healthcare professionals with the necessary information required to care for and educate those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, including the prevention of these infectious diseases. The course syllabus includes six major topics concerning HIV/AIDS: (1) Etiology & Epidemiology; (2) Transmission & Infection Control; (3) Testing & Counseling; (4) Clinical Manifestations & Treatment; (5) Legal & Ethical Issues; and (6) Psychosocial Issues. A seventh section provides resources.
Course Objectives
- To define HIV and AIDS and understand the impact of these diseases in Washington State, as well as the whole of the United States and abroad.
- Identify the stages of HIV and discuss its origin.
- Describe the incidences and distribution of HIV and the various ways to control it in a population. Recognize the behaviors that increase the risks of infection and other factors that affect transmission.
- Explain the testing involved to diagnose the disease and the importance in counseling an HIV infected person before and after testing.
- Gain knowledge about occupational exposures to blood-borne pathogens and the risks and actions to prevent them.
- Compare the differences between HIV, AIDS, HBV & HCV and the increased effects when combined with Tuberculosis and/or sexually transmitted diseases.
- Describe the legal reporting requirements and the ethical issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.
- Understand the personal impact for those suffering with HIV/AIDS and the special populations that may require extra care.