The Virtual Rheumatology Program for Fellows in Training (V-FIT) is a collection of online programs developed by rheumatology experts to address specific educational needs of fellows-in-training. V-FIT includes four online courses: Virtual Rheumatology Learning Collaborative (ViRL), Virtual Rheumatology Practicum for Adult Rheumatology Fellows (ViP Adult), Virtual Rheumatology Practicum for Pediatric Rheumatology Fellows (ViP Pediatric), and Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons (ViTLs).
This activity includes 160+ online lectures from all four programs pertaining to both adult and pediatric rheumatology.
This program is designed for educational purposes only. The material presented is not intended to represent the only or the best methods appropriate for the medical situations discussed, but rather is intended to present the opinions of the authors or presenters, which may be helpful to other practitioners. Attendees participating in this education activity sponsored by the ACR do so with full knowledge that they waive any claim they may have against the ACR for reliance on any information presented during this educational activity.
Target Audience
The activity was created for fellows-in-training but is also relevant to primary care physicians and other rheumatology professionals, such as registered nurses, nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, physical therapists, pharmacists, physician assistants.
Activities
This curriculum includes 32 activities with more than 160 talks in the following topics:
The ACR thanks Pfizer, Inc. for independent medical educational grant support of the V-FIT programs.
Antiphospholipid Syndrome (V-FIT)
This activity includes lectures on the epidemiology, etiology/pathogenesis,
clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of antiphospholipid
syndrome
Cancer and Rheumatology (V-FIT)
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a type of cancer immunotherapy that can
cause inflammatory side effects similar to rheumatic diseases.
This activity includes talks on the initial evaluation, approach to
treatment, and monitoring of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD)
associated with systemic rheumatic diseases
COVID-19 and Rheumatology (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on the management of the rheumatology patient
diagnosed with COVID-19, as well as COVID-19 complications, medication
effects on vaccine response, and the relationship between vaccine response
and underlying rheumatologic disease.
Crystal-Induced Arthropathies (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on the pathophysiology and management of gout.
Fever Associated Rheumatic Disorders (V-FIT)
This activity includes both adult and pediatric lectures on the expanding
field of autoinflammatory disease.
Immunology for Rheumatologists (V-FIT)
This activity reviews key immunological concepts in rheumatology, including
innate and adaptive immunity, immunological receptors of the innate immune
system, T-cell activation/differentiation, and principles of cytokine
signaling
Infections and Related Arthritides (V-FIT)
This activity discussses rheumatic manifestations of key viral infections
including epidemiology, pathophysiology, pertinent clinical and laboratory
findings, and principles of treatment .
Inflammatory Eye Disease (V-FIT)
This activity reviews common forms of inflammatory eye disease seen in
patients with rheumatic conditions (scleritis, uveitis, and orbital
inflammatory disease), and provides an overview of common clinical
findings, mimickers, and suggestions for evaluation and treatment
Introduction to Pediatric Rheumatology (V-FIT)
With a shortage of pediatric rheumatologists around the United States, this
activity aims to familiarize adult rheumatology providers with the most
common pediatric rheumatologic diseases.
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on JIA, SJIA, and the related complications of
macrophage activation syndrome and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in
children (MIS-C),
Lupus (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on lupus nephritis and systemic lupus
erythematosus (SLE), reviewing the pathogenesis of the disease,
classification criteria, disease activity measures, and available treatment
options.
Miscellaneous Rheumatic Disorders (V-FIT)
Listen to talks on sarcoidosis, sarcoid myocarditis and ocular sarcoidosis.
MSK Exam (V-FIT)
This activity includes a number of talks focusing on the physical exam.
MSK Radiology (V-FIT)
This activity includes lectures and Q&A on the use of plain radiographs in
the evaluation of arthritis and common arthropathies, as well as the use of
ultrasound in the diagnosis of gout and PMR.
Myositis (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on the definition and classification of
inflammatory myopathies, as well as their clinical manifestations,
diagnosis, management and treatment.
Osteoarthritis (V-FIT)
This activity includes all online lectures from the V-FIT programs on
osteoarthritis.
Osteoporosis (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on an osteoporosis, reviewing who should be
treated, with what medication, and for how long treatment should continue.
Pain Syndromes (V-FIT)
This activity reviews pain transmission pathways and the central mechanisms
of chronic pain.
Patient Care (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on the evaluation of patients presenting with
arthritic complaints, with a focus on developing a systematic approach to
the differential diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis.
Pediatric Joint Pain (V-FIT)
This activity discussed inflammatory versus non-inflammatory joint pain in
children; common causes of benign pediatric joint pain; and causes of
infectious, as well as reactive and post-infectious causes of joint pain in
children.
Research and Scholarship (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on clinical study design, as well as
rheumatology years-in-review.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (V-FIT)
This activity includes lectures on the diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
and management of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Rheumatology and Reproductive Health (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on the current knowledge regarding rheumatic
disease activity in pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes in those with a
variety of rheumatic diseases.
Rheumatology Emergencies (V-FIT)
This activity focuses on approaches to clinical rheumatic disease syndromes
that might present to the emergency room or clinic requiring urgent
intervention.
Rheumatology Labs (V-FIT)
This activity includes a number of didactic and case-based talks reviewing
basic and advanced lab tests in the evaluation and diagnosis of
rheumatologic disease.
Scleroderma (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on describes the common clinical and physical
findings in patients with scleroderma and systemic sclerosis, identifies
the appropriate screening tests, and discusses the various treatment
options.
Seronegative Spondyloarthropathies (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks reviewing psoriatic arthritis,
spondyloarthritis, and spondyloarthropathy mimics.
Sjögren’s Disease (V-FIT)
This activity provides an overview of Sjögrens disease, including its
underlying pathology, clinical and laboratory features, diagnostic
approach, and management
Succeeding in Fellowship (V-FIT)
This activity includes talks on how to not only survive but thrive thriving
during fellowship.
Therapeutics and Injections (V-FIT)
This activity includes a number of talks on the categories of medications
used to treat rheumatic conditions in both adults and children.
Vasculitis (V-FIT)
This activity includes a variety of talks on large and small cell
vasculitis, ANCA and non-ANCA associated vasculitis, as well as less common
vasculitides, such as Bechets.