A team approach is necessary to provide comprehensive care in today’s complex healthcare settings. And nowhere is the need for a cadre of medical professionals more evident than within the practice of rheumatology, where complicated diagnoses and tailored treatments are the rule rather than the exception. Among the highly trained members of these healthcare teams…
The ACR and the ARP are preparing to relaunch the Advanced Rheumatology Course (ARC) with a fresh look and an enhanced format to facilitate the learner experience. Since its debut, the ARC, formerly the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Postgraduate Rheumatology Training Program, has been a valuable resource for hundreds of nurse practitioners (NPs), physician…
In the early 1900s, the treatment for rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD) was primarily targeted at symptomatic relief and included analgesics, physical therapy, splinting and bed rest. With the discovery of methotrexate and its impact on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management, a much-needed evolution of medications targeting disease activity began. Over the past 30 years, several…
The Advanced Rheumatology Course (ARC) carries the distinction of being the first online educational product of the ACR/ARP. In the early 2000s, members of the College thoughtfully considered action needed to efficiently prepare health professionals looking to enter the rheumatology workforce. A decision was made to create online educational products with the specific target audience…
It is with great pleasure that the ARP congratulates the 2019 recipients of the Mentored Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Award for Workforce Expansion. The purpose of the NP/PA Award is to increase the supply of rheumatology healthcare providers to better meet the needs of people with rheumatic diseases across the U.S., particularly in geographically underserved areas….
Has your practice recently hired a nurse practitioner (NP) or physician’s assistant (PA) to help provide care to a growing patient population? Are you considering hiring, but unsure if you have the time or resources to adequately train someone new to the specialty? The Training Rheum is designed to give your professional staff a solid…
The College’s principal journals have been telling the tale of workforce woe, exploring the reasons for our predicament and potential solutions for the long and short term.1,2 Among the medium-term remedies is increased use of advanced practice clinicians (APCs), as we collectively refer to nurse practitioners and physician assistants in rheumatology practices. Solutions Estimates of…
GLENDALE, ARIZ.—Arizona is a microcosm of America’s challenges in reconciling the rheumatology workforce to growing patient demand, as quantified in the ACR’s Workforce Study of 2015.1 So it was timely this year for the Phoenix Rheumatology Association to sponsor its 1st Annual Strategic Training for Rheumatology Advanced Practice Clinicians Symposium. (Note: Advanced practice clinicians [APCs]…
Tips to establish collaborative patient care models with your PAs, NPs