For most doctors, fellowship training represents the final two to three years of formal medical education, and recognition of the unique opportunities of this time period can help aspiring rheumatologists get the most out of their fellowship. Fellowship training is inherently different than residency training, with less structured time, smaller teams (often consisting of only…
Here’s a taste of what participants in this year’s virtual annual meeting, ACR Convergence 2020, will have access to during Down & Dirty 30, four 30-minute sessions designed to provide refreshers on specific rheumatology-related topics.
Bharat Kumar, MD, Advocacy 101 coordinator and Government Affairs Committee member, describes the virtual program designed to educate and empower rheumatology fellows in training, program directors and ARP members to advocate for issues that affect rheumatology practices and patients in advance of the Advocates for Arthritis that will take place virtually in September.
Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness registry users can complete an online performance improvement activity to earn up to 20 continuing medical education credits and 20 maintenance of certification points.
Looking back on last year’s ACR/ARP annual meeting, I recall the energy and excitement of attendees as they participated in sessions covering the latest scientific concepts and new directions in our field. In 2019, we piloted a number of innovative ways to modernize and enhance future ACR meetings, with the promise of delivering a transformed…
Rheumatologists who are outstanding clinicians, provide consistently exceptional care to patients and serve as role models for colleagues and trainees are in the spotlight in our Lessons from a Master Clinician series. Here, we offer insights from clinicians who have achieved a level of distinction in the field of rheumatology and who are respected by…
At the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Division of Rheumatology, Baltimore, registered nurses (RNs) are an integral aspect of the rheumatology fellowship program. This gives the fellows information and insight into areas of practice they might not otherwise receive. “This [practice] is a result of our very strong belief that an integrated and interdisciplinary approach,…
Like the medical profession itself, the education of doctors serving in rheumatology fellowships across the nation marches on despite the unexpected hurdles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Practice Changes “The pandemic has changed the way our fellows see patients; we are now seeing almost all patients using telemedicine,” says Bonita Libman, MD, FACR, FACP, fellowship…
As rheumatologists, we relish the thrill of diagnostic conundrums that accompany our immune-mediated multi-system and often undifferentiated disease processes. Many rheumatologic diagnoses are essentially diagnoses of exclusion. We’re accustomed to diagnosing iatrogenesis, infection and malignancy as often as we diagnose rheumatic disease. Complex clinical problem solving and critical reasoning are our forte, and to do…
For most rheumatologists, the key elements of the physical exam—inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation—have long been second nature, but a fifth modality has grown in importance with respect to making the correct diagnosis: ultrasound. From evaluating for Doppler signal and additional findings indicative of synovitis to identifying bony erosions, chondrocalcinosis, tophi and other articular and…