The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic may portend disaster or may become an opportunity for learning some of the basic lessons of medicine for those entering the ranks of health care workers in the 1990s. At present, a small cadre of health care professionals have dedicated themselves exclusively to the care of HIV-infected people. Although their number has increased in the past 8 years, they still represent a tiny fraction of total health care professionals. As they age or burn out, who will be there to take their places?1
Major academic medical centers on the East and West coasts have not filled residency training slots with the candidates of their choice for the past several years. One of the reasons given by candidates and feared by training directors is the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. The muchpublicized strain on existing resources, the emotional drain caused by caring for terminally