Rheum2Learn Offers Opportunities for Internal Medicine Housestaff to Learn Rheumatology

Of the respondents, 94% believed that a formal curriculum would be beneficial, and specific requests were made for interactive web-based modalities. The avoidance of another DVD tool was specifically requested! It was clear from the survey results that an interactive online teaching tool, utilizing a case-based learning approach, would be well received. Additionally, a competency-based approach to learning rheumatology would meet the needs for IM resident education as well as IM program director curriculum development.

The COTW Subcommittee for Resident Education included 13 members, predominantly, though not entirely, composed of rheumatology fellowship program directors, who convened twice yearly and by conference call on an ad hoc basis to draft the essential learning modules (2008–2012). Initially described as the “Sweet Sixteen,” the essential topics were selected to provide formatted rheumatology education to IM housestaff, and were later narrowed to a core of fourteen interactive, web-based learning modules (see Table 1), entitled Rheum2Learn (www.rheumatology.org/rheum2learn). Each of the modules encompasses two cases on the specified learning topic; one case is a more straightforward diagnostic clinical presentation, followed by a second case that presents a clinical scenario of higher complexity with more advanced facets of clinical management. At the end of each case, the author for each module has posed several questions, accompanied by a discussion of the case and answers to these queries.

The remainder of each module is composed of learning objectives categorized within each of the six Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies (medical knowledge, patient care, interpersonal communication, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice). The learning objectives use Bloom’s taxonomy and provide embedded links to internet-based learning tools.¹ Examples include images from the ACR Rheumatology Image Bank, Internet-based modalities such as a video demonstration of the musculoskeletal examination, a link to the National Osteoporosis Foundation education pages on bone health, published classification criteria, and many PubMed articles pertinent to the selected topic discussion.

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Table 1: Educational Modules in Rheum2Learn

Quantifying Program Benefits

Rheum2Learn provides IM housestaff with plenty of room for learning rheumatology over the course of IM training. Having been available online since November 2012, Rheum2Learn is gaining greater general recognition by word of mouth. It will be shared with the attendees of the upcoming national meeting of the Association of Program Directors of Internal Medicine. It is equally important that rheumatologists who are involved in IM resident education publicize this freely available product to IM program directors.