“She’s flaring again. She had a hard time even going to school this week and hasn’t been able to play at all for her basketball […]
Rheumatology Nurse Practice
Walking a Mile in My Painful Shoes
When providers attempt to identify and eliminate some of the barriers to successful treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), they quickly realize that there is no […]
Picking Up Life Lessons from Our Patients
Over the course of our careers, nurses, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare providers come into contact with hundreds and perhaps thousands of patients. While a […]
Planning For a Successful Transition From Pediatrics to Adult Practices
It was Monday morning. I was feeling optimistic about the coming week. Of course, there would be some unforeseen challenges—there always are— but nothing that […]
What Rheumatology Patients Are Facing in the COVID-19 Era
As someone who relies on several immunosuppressant medications to function, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was very, very scary for me. While the news […]
Doing Some Detective Work to Find the Right Diagnosis
Some days in our rheumatology clinic, our staff feels like a detective agency. We need to work together and examine all of the clues before […]
The Importance of Persistence
As we all know, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is often a challenging disease to diagnose. Physical exam findings are not often definitive. Lab results are rarely […]
Diagnostic Hurdles, Hoops, and Hindsight
If you ask any psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patient about the path to their diagnosis, you’d better grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable. Chances […]
Helping the Men in Our Professional Lives
When we think about family planning issues among patients with rheumatic disease, most of us initially think about our female patients, and for good reason. […]
Postpartum Care of RA: Not an Either/ Or Proposition
Planning for pregnancy can be a difficult task, especially for our patients living with a rheumatic disease. It requires a careful review of current and […]
Oh, Those Teenagers
As a pediatric nurse practitioner, one of the most exciting things about my job is watching my patients grow up and mature. It’s also one […]
Why the ACR Guidelines on Reproductive Health Are So Important for Patients
After more than a decade living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), I can say without hesitation that the most challenging parts of my healthcare journey have […]
The Patient Perspective: The Benefits of Participating in a Clinical Trial | Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
It started with one pill a day, then two, and then four. That was followed by a series of injections. And on and on, still […]
Dealing with the Unique Challenges of the “Have Nots” | Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
In the United States, those of us who work as healthcare providers often struggle with the realities of the “haves” vs. the “have nots.” The […]
Making the Hardest Conversations a Bit Easier
Telling a patient that they have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or any other autoimmune disorder is never easy. By the time most patients arrive in our […]
Blinded vs. Unblinded: The Roles of the Research Nurse
We are fortunate in our office to have the opportunity to take part in research of new biosimilar medications before they come to the market. […]
When Good Isn’t Good Enough | Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA)
I first met AP, a 48-year-old woman, about 8 years ago when I was new at my current rheumatology practice. From the very start of […]
The Magic of the Dead Sea on Resistant Psoriasis | Psoriasis
I first met EJ when he was 28 years old, a full 15 years after he was initially diagnosed with psoriasis and started on topical […]
No Doubt, It’s Gout (and Psoriatic Arthritis)
A few months ago, a new patient, SR, came into our office with a long and varied history of rheumatic disease. A 34-year-old Caucasian male […]
Monitoring PsA Disease Activity in the Clinical Setting | Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA)
The treat-to-target approach to care is a hot topic in medicine and is now widely accepted as a best practice in our patients diagnosed with […]
Fighting the Good Fight with Insurers | Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
The majority of patients we see on a day-to-day basis in our rheumatology practices require straightforward decisions and straightforward solutions. But there are always outliers. […]
Like the Kidney, Medical Authorizations Require Us to Adapt | Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA)
A very long time ago in my nursing school days, I learned that each kidney has approximately 1 million nephrons comprised of convoluted tubules. Their […]
My Experience with Specialty Pharmacies | Insurance
When I first learned that my insurance required me to use a specialty pharmacy for my biologic medication, it didn’t sound too bad. My first […]
Understanding Family Issues to Maximize Adherence
The challenges of medication adherence in children are as diverse as the populations we serve. Among other things, adherence in children can be affected by […]
Making the Whole Patient Better | Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA)
I have been caring for KN, a 57-year-old woman with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) for approximately 9 months. When she initially presented to our office, she […]