Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Nurse Practitioner Terra Livingston, APRN-C, has achieved an important milestone in her career. On January 1, 2025, Livingston will hold the AAHIV-S credential from the American Academy of HIV Medicine.
Livingston cares for patients at the CHC/SEK – Arma clinic and achieved this certification within the first year of her becoming an advanced practitioner.
“Complex care has always intrigued me,” Livingston said. “HIV care, with its unique challenges and opportunities for impact, aligns with my passion for providing care to those who need it most. Individuals living with HIV and those at risk in our region, like many rural areas, face gaps in healthcare access. This really motivated me to pursue further education and certification in HIV care, where I can make a tangible difference in addressing these disparities.”
The AAHIV-S certification is awarded to clinicians who meet rigorous standards, including successfully passing a comprehensive exam, completing 45 hours of HIV-specific continuing medical education (CME), and undergoing a six-month mentorship with a seasoned AAHIV-S clinician. Advanced certification demonstrates a clinician’s ability to provide comprehensive HIV care, ensuring patients receive the highest level of expertise and care tailored to their unique needs.
Livingston said her primary goal is to improve access to comprehensive primary and HIV and preventive care in our community by increasing awareness of HIV prevention, through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and ensuring that patients feel comfortable and safe when seeking care.
“This training has reinforced to me the importance of providing holistic care addressing all factors that impact my patient’s health and well-being,” she said. “I hope to help empower my patients to take control of their health and improve their quality of life,”
Livingston joins a select group of healthcare providers at CHC/SEK, becoming the third provider within the organization to achieve this credential. She joins Dr. Julie Stewart, MD, MPH, FACP, FAAP, and Crystal Garcia, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, who are also AAHIV-S certified. Livingston says a key factor in her success has been the mentorship and guidance of Dr. Stewart.
“Terra has been a joy to work with given her eagerness and aptitude for learning,” Dr. Stewart said. “Patients thrive under her care. CHC/SEK’s patients are blessed to have a clinician with Terra’s combination of talent and compassion. Learning the guidelines to provide complex chronic disease management can seem an insurmountable goal to some. However, practicing patient-centered evidence-based medicine is a whole different achievement.”
Livingston completed a master’s degree in nursing from Cox College in Springfield, MO. Prior to that, she received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pittsburg State University and an associate degree in nursing from Fort Scott Community College. Livingston also completed the CHC/SEK Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease fellowship under Dr. Stewart.
For more information about CHC/SEK’s services or to schedule an appointment, please visit www.chcsek.org