Activity Overview
The Fundamentals of Rheumatology Course is a series of 10 activities that provide foundational knowledge and help develop skills that professionals new to rheumatology need to succeed in clinical practice.
This activity covers signs, symptoms, and treatments for the most common forms of rheumatic disease, and addresses key areas such as pain management, psychosocial challenges, rehabilitation, and self-management support strategies.
Fundamentals of Rheumatology Course
This activity is part of a series. See all activities in the series below.
Activity 1: Discover the Basics: Immunology, Autoimmunity, and Inflammation
Activity 2: Explore Systemic Inflammatory Diseases in Adults and Children
Activity 5: Address Psychosocial Impact to Enhance Patient Outcomes
Activity 6: Counsel your Patient on Rheumatology Medications
Activity 8 : Use Rehabilitation to Improve Your Patient’s Function, Fatigue, and Pain
Activity 9: Stimulate and Support Your Patient’s Self-Management
Target Audience
Professionals looking to expand their understanding of interdisciplinary rheumatology care: nurses, occupational therapists, office managers and staff, physical therapists, pharmacists, pharmacologists, practice administrators, psychologists, researchers, social workers and community health workers, epidemiologists, health educators, health services researchers, medical assistants, rheumatology interprofessionals, and students.
Experienced professionals may also find the activity to be a helpful review.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:
Describe the basics of innate and adaptive immunity and their functions
Describe the structure and function of bone, muscle, cartilage, and connective tissue
Recognize the immunologic targets of various common disease-modifying agents and biologics
Describe the physiologic processes of inflammation, immunity, and immune deregulation in context of rheumatologic diseases
Recall the basics of joint structure, synovium, and different types of joints
Price
Member: $0
Nonmember: $139
If you are not a member, consider joining ACR/ARP.
CE & MOC Information
Credit must be claimed by June 24, 2028, at 11:59 PM ET.
By completing this activity, you provide the ACR permission to share completion data with the ACCME and the certifying board.
The following credit types must be self-reported to the appropriate board: CME, AAPA, AANC, AWSB ACE, and APA. The certificate is a record of your activity completion.
All participating healthcare professionals should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.
Available Credit
CME: 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
Designation Statements
Joint Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, the American College of Rheumatology is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Provider Number: 0003797
See the ACR's CE Mission Statement. For more information, download the AMA PRA Booklet.
AMA
The American College of Rheumatology designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Financial Relationship Disclosures
ACR Disclosure Statement
It is the policy of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) to ensure that Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities are independent and free of commercial bias. To ensure educational content is objective, balanced, and guarantee content presented is in the best interest of its learners and the public, the ACR requires that everyone in a position to control educational content disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. An ineligible company is one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Examples can be found at accme.org.
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence inAccredited Continuing Education, ACR has implemented mechanisms prior to the planning and implementation of this CME activity to identify and mitigate all relevant financial relationships for all individuals in a position to control the content of this CME activity.
Nature of Financial Relationships
All individuals that participate in an ACR-sponsored activity and are able to change content or influence the content of the activity must disclose to the planning committee and audience all financial or other relationships with ineligible companies including, but not limited to:
Advisor or review panel member
Consultant
Employee
Officer or Board Member
Grant/research support
Speaker/honoraria includes speaker’s bureau, symposia, and expert witness
Independent contractor
Executive role and/or ownership interest
Royalties and/or patent beneficiary
Intellectual property/patents
Stock options or bond holdings in a for-profitc orporation or self-directed pension plan
Private investigator
Expert witness
Equity interest
Other: specify details
None: Has no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
All participants that created and/or were able to influence the content and delivery of this activity reported the following disclosures. All of the relevant financial relationships listed have been mitigated. FRC Relaunch 2025 Financial Relationship Disclosures.
Acknowledgement of Commercial Support
No commercial support was provided for this activity.
See industry engagement opportunities and benefits of supporting the ACR.
Educational Activity Policies
See ACR educational activity policies, including the online enduring activity refund policy.