As a pediatric rheumatology nurse, my visits typically involve more than just the patient. Including mom and/or dad in the discussion often requires a variety of communication and negotiation tools as we try to do what is best for our patient while making sure that...
Sometimes as rheumatology nurses, we walk into a room and our heart sinks as we’re faced with a patient who we know is going to challenge every nursing skill that we possess. Other times, we brighten up as we see a patient who is like an old friend and has become an...
Not long after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its first biosimilar agent for use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), our office undertook its initial journey to become better educated about what this meant for ourselves and our patients. We...
So this is new and fancy. Just when I thought I had the whole “shingles vaccine thing” covered, along come the JAK inhibitors to throw a monkey wrench into the whole shebang. Let’s start with what I thought I knew: Shingles are bad, patients with autoimmune...
The annual conference of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/Association for Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP) is typically the premier annual venue in the United States for the presentation of current and upcoming research topics in the field of...
A few months ago, our office received an urgent call from an anxious primary care provider (PCP) asking to speak with our clinic director. In his office, he had an 18-year-old female (JW) crying in pain. A college freshman, JW said she had been experiencing severe...
Two years ago, a 30-year-old woman (RB) came to our office for an initial consult. She was in a wheelchair, covered from head to toe with a knit hat, turtleneck top, long knit pants, and Ugg boots. She was reticent to make eye contact with our staff and visibly...
I recently saw a 17-year-old patient whose case caused a lot of people in our local healthcare community to scratch their heads. NJ is a high school senior, a sprinter who holds numerous school records. He had been a perfectly healthy kid until last year, when he...
Recently, my Google Alert set for “rheumatology nursing” notified me of a curious short article out of Ireland. As we know, tragic, sensational, and even “fake news” often tops the priority list of newsfeeds instead of heartwarming, positive, and inspiring news...
“How are my numbers?” It’s a question that I get daily from my patients, often on several occasions. Patients will call and ask for a copy of their lab report or, if they are enrolled in our online portal program, after they check their values on their computer. “Oh...