Evolving Curricular Needs of Rheumatology Fellowship Programs, Fellows-in-Training, and the American College of...

Adult rheumatology fellowships' curricular needs are changing following the COVID-19 pandemic. The American College of Rheumatology's (ACR's) Virtual Program for Fellows-in-Training (FITs), initially developed to maintain didactic instruction while sheltering in place, has suffered decreased attendance in recent years. We describe the evolving curricular needs of adult rheumatology fellowship programs and FITs as well as suggest opportunities for the ACR to address them.

Adult rheumatology fellowship program directors (PDs) in the United States and Canada were invited to describe how they used the ACR Virtual Program for FITs, their perceived challenges with the programming, and curricular needs via online surveys. PDs and FITs shared ideas for future ACR Virtual Programs for FITs via surveys and focus groups. We conducted descriptive statistics of survey data and qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts.

Of 123 PDs, 17 (13.8%) completed the survey, and 8 PDs and 6 FITs participated in five focus groups. Of 17 PDs, 7 (41%) reported insufficient resources to create a comprehensive curriculum, and all respondents used the ACR Virtual Program for FITs to supplement clinical expertise and/or time available for teaching. Focus group participants requested that the ACR Virtual Program for FITs expand to advanced rheumatology topics, foster active learning methods while maintaining safety in learning, and make educational materials easily accessible to PDs and FITs.

Shared educational resources enhance adult rheumatology fellowships' curricula. The ACR Virtual Program for FITs can meet changing curricular needs by expanding content, incorporating active learning, and sharing resources through easily accessible methods.