This paper discusses the findings of a quantitative study of nurses' willingness to care for patients with AIDS. It identifies several factors that enable nurses to confront the fear of AIDS nursing and to turn fear into compassion, and negative attitudes into positive ones. These factors include professional values, organizational support, group identity, patients' responses, spirituality, family and friends with AIDS, knowledge about AIDS, and the importance of personal choice. The value of these factors are further supported through personal statements made by nurses on AIDS-dedicated units as they express their feelings, thoughts, and positive experiences and expectations regarding AIDS nursing.
