The patients that come through the doors of our rheumatology practice every day often arrive with a unique set of beliefs regarding their disease and […]
Rheumatology Nurse Practice
Omics Research: Its Role in the Future of Rheumatology
As healthcare professionals specializing in rheumatology, we know the importance of seeing patients as individuals as we interact with them and hear about their experiences […]
The Little Differences That Can Have a Big Impact
“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 […]
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 […]