Another example of a winning collaboration is the popular nurse practitioner/physician assistant (NP/PA) rheumatology training program. In response to requests from physicians, the NP/PA rheumatology training program came to fruition under the leadership of a joint committee of ACR and ARHP representatives. Launched in December of 2008, this modular education tool has become a successful program valued by participants and by physicians, who see it as an important staff training device. The NP/PA editorial team consisted of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physicians. The variety of perspectives that contributed to the design and implementation of the NP/PA training modules was a major factor in the success and significance of the program.
The educational line-up at the 2009 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium in Chicago, Ill., also demonstrates the successful execution of our multidisciplinary organizational approach. A variety of educational programming was offered during the weekend event. Those activities included an ARHP advanced practice skills training course, the Committee on Rheumatologic Care’s practice management check-up, a training course developed to meet the educational needs of invited fellows, and lectures on the latest developments in rheumatology by key opinion leaders. Educational content of this scope and breadth could not have been achieved without a deliberate effort and an interdisciplinary process.
Over the past year the staff and volunteer leadership have made a concerted effort to integrate the activities of the ACR and the ARHP to capitalize on our combined strengths and benefit from the perspectives each group represents.
Strategic Approach to Working Together
Two key components in interdisciplinary planning are representation and exposure. To this end, ARHP members with different areas of expertise are often appointed to serve on the ACR planning committees. Representation by multiple ARHP members with different specialties is beneficial because, while the ARHP has been designed to meet the needs of allied health professionals, its membership should not be viewed as a monolithic group. The educational needs, professional concerns, and patient care experiences of a nurse practitioner will differ from those of a physical therapist or a physician assistant. Therefore, when we vary and expand the contributions of ARHP members on ACR committees, we all—including our patients—benefit from the exposure. Conversely, ACR members are also represented on ARHP committees to our mutual advantage. One example is the addition of a physician representative to the ARHP’s annual meeting planning committee.
A further illustration of the potential benefits of continued and thoughtful collaboration is the growth and expansion of the scientific journal publications. In 2000, both Arthritis & Rheumatism (A&R) and Arthritis Care & Research (AC&R) came under the governance of the Committee on Journal Publications (CJP)—a committee with almost equal representation by ACR and ARHP members. In fact, successful collaboration and unified leadership by the CJP over the last nine years has ushered AC&R to its current level of growth and acclaim.
