Development of a structured on-site nursing program for training nurse specialists in rheumatology

There is currently no structured system for nurses or allied health professionals to undertake further training to become a nurse specialist (NSp) or nurse practitioner (NP) in rheumatology on-site, while working in a district general hospital setting. These shortcomings have prompted us to develop a structured pathway that could be followed by staff nurses who wish to become NSp in rheumatology. The proposed pathway aims to assist the nurses or therapists (physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapist, podiatrists, etc.) to develop a sound knowledge based on the rationale, safety, and high quality clinical care when monitoring of patients taking disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to ensure they acquire skills enabling them to provide safe, evidence-based effective patient-centered care. Near the end of the pathway, the trainee would be expected to have an understanding of the particularities of chronic arthritis conditions as well as screening, assessment, and monitoring of patients receiving DMARDs and biological agents. Tests for competencies are included and certification may be considered.