Rheumatology Research Foundation Grant Funds Training to Improve Patient Care

For Katy L. Searle, MSN, the Health Professional Online Education Grant and the course it funded have been very helpful while working at her practice. Searle owns her own clinic, the Firth Medical Center, in Firth, Idaho, a small, rural town in the southeast part of the state. She registered for the Advanced Rheumatology Course last year as well.

Katy Searle

“It has been very educational,” she explains. “It’s very helpful in my practice, as I see many rheumatology patients in a very rural area.” Searle says the course taught her how to differentiate between diseases that cause joint inflammation, better interpret lab results and provide quality treatment for people with rheumatic diseases who would otherwise have to travel very far to see a rheumatologist. In fact, Searle says thanks to the course, she is able to treat a 17-year-old patient with Reiter’s syndrome.

“As a rural practitioner, I have many, many patients who do not want to be sent to the city for treatment. Now, I can confidently care for them here.”

Both Searle and Richey say the ARHP’s Advanced Rheumatology Course has been a wonderful training tool. Because of the support of the Rheumatology Research Foundation’s Health Professional Online Education Grant, they were able to take the course, further their rheumatology education and, most importantly, provide their patients with high-quality care.