By federal law, people infected with HIV are considered disabled. They are subject to the same institutional considerations as afforded any other disabled individual. Universal HIV testing of either patients or health care providers is not required. Medical specimens from all patients should be treated as if they are HIV infected. While universal HIV testing is not required of students, appropriate testing is available to any student who requests it.
Results are confidential and are reported only to the student.
However, procedures in which normal performance may directly expose the patient to the health care provider's blood or bodily fluids are considered high risk. Each affiliated institution should identify high-risk procedures by specialty. Guidelines are also available from the CDC and the Ohio Department of Health. Scientific evidence on transmission of HIV from infected health care providers to patients has yet to be established. If a student is HIV infected and is symptomatic, the student's course work and patient contact should be carefully evaluated.