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Conference Proceedings No. 12 – Defining the Extended Clinical Role for Allied Health Professionals in Rheumatology
Health professionals such as nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists are increasingly employed in extended clinical roles in rheumatology units as Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Practitioners, Rheumatology Specialist Nurses and Rheumatology Practitioners. These roles involve a high level of clinical practice and cross traditional professional boundaries, often including the assessment (of disease and psychosocial factors), follow-up and management of patients with inflammatory arthritis with minimal supervision from consultant rheumatologists.
Published in 2001, this report describes the extensive postal survey which was carried out to determine current roles and perceived training needs and the workshops which were then held (for allied health professionals and consultant rheumatologists) to define core clinical competencies for the extended role. It includes consensus statements, a summary of relevant training courses and conclusions on the implications for clinical practice and training.
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