Rheumatology 101 for the Primary Care Clinician

The Pacific Northwest is experiencing a critical shortage of rheumatologists. Despite efforts from multiple organizations, including the American College of Rheumatology, The Arthritis Foundation, The University of Washington, and Virginia Mason Medical Center, Washington State continues to rank near the bottom for access issues. In a May 2022 interview, Washington Rheumatology Alliance (WRA) President Jeff Peterson, MD noted with concern that rural patients are particularly underserved, with many competing with patients traveling from rural Idaho and Oregon for access to Washington based rheumatologists. This shortage of rheumatologists has resulted in fewer learning opportunities for primary care clinicians on rheumatology education, longer wait times for patients, and situations where primary care clinicians are managing patients with complex rheumatologic diseases for many months before rheumatologic care is established.

Virginia Mason Rheumatology developed this course to address this critical need and to support primary care clinicians. This course will provide training in the identification of common rheumatologic conditions and recognize when to discuss care management with rheumatologists in a timely manner to prevent patient morbidity and mortality. We aim to provide attendees with background and knowledge of common conditions seen by rheumatologists, including rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathy, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, and systemic sclerosis.