Getting at That “One Thing” That Makes a Difference | Rheumatoid Arthritis
We all have patients who are hard to connect with, stubborn beyond belief despite what we think is clear evidence that refutes their deep-seated obstinence. […]
Learning to Meet Our Patients Where They Are | Rheumatoid Arthritis
As a rheumatology nurse practitioner with 16 years of experience, I have seen a lot of patients with rapidly progressing disease. Unquestionably, after nearly 2 […]
Don’t Make Your Patient Visits Feel Like a Horror Movie
The scariest movie I ever saw was called “The Ring.” I’m not exactly sure what it was about, because I “watched” it while hiding under […]
Self-Efficacy Assessments: Valuable Tools for Patient Success
Because patient outcomes are increasingly being used as outcomes measures to determine the success or failure of certain treatment regimens, health behavior modifications, and compliance […]
Hoping for a Home Run, but Ending with a Strikeout | Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjögren’s
J.T. was a former professional baseball player who came to our practice after being diagnosed at age 45 with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the […]
It Takes a Village | Seropositive Rheumatoid Arthritis
In nursing school, we are taught to use care plans to help manage our patients’ health problems. First, we assess the patient; next, we develop […]
The “What Ifs” That Stay With Us | Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sometimes, we encounter a patient in our practice who touches our life and our soul, and never leaves our heart. One such patient of mine […]
My Most Memorable Patient | Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
As rheumatology nurses, we are lucky to be able to touch so many lives in a memorable way. Consequently, when a patient appears in our […]
Why Vitamin D Levels Matter in Patients with Rheumatic Disease
Over a decade ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD, discuss his cutting edge research on vitamin D. At the […]
When Lab Tests Provide Additional Information | Sjögren’s
Is there a more confounding lab test in rheumatology than the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test? It can lead us straight to a diagnosis or set […]