A total of 135 nursing students, 71 from a degree program and 64 from five different diploma schools, participated in a study of anxiety change during a 6-week tuberculosis nursing experience. A scale was developed following the procedure known as equal appearing interval scale construction. Following its validation, the 17-item scale was administered four times during the 6-week tuberculosis nursing affiliation. Four major questions were asked:1. What degree of anxiety is experienced by nursing students who come to the tuberculosis teaching unit?2. Does the anxiety level change during the tuberculosis nursing experience?3. What influence does previous experience in communicable disease or tuberculosis nursing have on student anxiety?4. Is anxiety related to student achievement and performance?The conclusions reached by this study were as follows:1. Nursing students evidenced some anxiety regarding tuberculosis, but this anxiety should not be considered extreme.2. Anxiety toward the disease decreases slightly during the first two weeks of experience, then remains relatively constant for the rest of the experience.3. Degree program students with previous experience (including previous contact with tuberculosis patients) were significantly less anxious with regard to tuberculosis than were degree program students without previous experience. The same trend was found for diploma program students, but the differences were not statistically significant.4. No significant relationship was found between a student's performance and achievement and her level of anxiety.