Rheumatology Nurse Career Overview

What Is a Rheumatology Nurse?

Rheumatology nurses treat patients with rheumatic diseases. These chronic illnesses cause fatigue and pain, and rheumatology nurses play a big part in how well patients can manage their symptoms. Some common rheumatic diseases include:

• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Fibromyalgia
• Lupus
• Lyme disease
• Osteoporosis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Spondylitis

These illnesses typically affect adults and older adults, but rheumatology nurses may see patients of any age. They can work in an office setting, call center, or hospital. Wherever they treat patients, their calming and compassionate care helps patients manage their symptoms and maintain independence.

Where Do Rheumatology Nurses Work?

Rheumatology nurses can treat patients in many different settings, from home to hospital. Some common workplaces can include:

• Home healthcare
• Hospitals
• Infusion centers
• Medical offices
• Specialty clinics

Two commonplace symptoms of rheumatic disease are pain and fatigue. When a rheumatic patient has to be admitted to the hospital, it is usually due to one of these two main symptoms. In the hospital, rheumatology nurses may care for other types of patients as well as those with rheumatic illnesses. Hospital rheumatology nurses can offer acute relief to struggling patients and give medications that may not be given as often at home.

In home health, rheumatology nurses visit people at home to administer injections or to teach patients and caregivers how to give them. They may also visit to start an IV and administer an IV medication over several hours.

Patients with rheumatic disease most often seek care in private medical practices and specialty clinics. Here, they can get regularly scheduled injections or infusions and can discuss concerns with their healthcare provider. Rheumatology nurses in this setting give medications and assess their patients, but they also provide a lot of education for patients living with these conditions.

What Does a Rheumatology Nurse Do?

A rheumatology nurse’s day-to-day can look a little different depending on where they work. In the hospital, for example, rheumatology nurses have mostly the same responsibilities as other hospital nurses, like:

• Blood and other bodily fluid collection for laboratory testing
• Central line management (like ports and PICCs)
• Collaboration with physicians, nurse practitioners, patients, and families
• Coordination of care with other departments
• Emergency resuscitation
• Head-to-toe assessment
• Insertion and maintenance of Foley catheters
• IV insertion and management
• Medication administration
• Patient and family education
• Patient hygiene
• Patient transportation
• Vital signs monitoring

Other tasks can apply to all settings. All rheumatology nurses must be familiar with medications like Remicade, Orencia, Actemra, Cimzia, and Rixutan, as well as general anti-inflammatory drugs. Some common drug categories used for rheumatic disease include:

• Antiresorptive drugs
• Biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs)
• Drugs used in crystal arthropathy
• Glucocorticoids
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Symptom-specific drugs
• Synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (sDMARDs)

Medications in these categories are essential to helping rheumatic patients regain and retain their quality of life. Rheumatology nurses also provide a wealth of knowledge to their patients regarding fatigue management, and they spend a lot of their time on education.

Some rheumatology nurses administer injections to joints, which is normally done in a specialty clinic or physician’s office. For subcutaneous injections, rheumatology nurses often administer the first few doses, but also train the patient and family so they can do it themselves at home.

How Do I Become a Rheumatology Nurse?

Rheumatology nurse candidates must first graduate from an accredited nursing program with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). After earning a degree, nurses can apply for rheumatology nursing positions as graduate nurses (GNs).

It’s not uncommon for health facilities to hire nurses as GNs right out of school and train them until they pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), their state licensing exam. After they pass the NCLEX, GNs become registered nurses (RNs) and after their orientation period, can practice nursing independently.

After some experience in the specialty, rheumatology nurses can return to school to earn an advanced practice degree and become a nurse practitioner (NP). Rheumatology nurses can become nurse practitioners by earning a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). An MSN can be completed in two years, but some rheumatology nurses choose to take more time so they can work full-time.

Rheumatology has no specialty-specific certifications, but nurses who work with any type of patient will be required to obtain a certification in basic life support (BLS). Nurses who work in a higher level of care – like the intensive care unit – may need their advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) certification.

How Much Does a Rheumatology Nurse Make Per Year?

Rheumatology nurses can earn a comparable annual salary to any other registered nurses. RNs make an average of $94,480 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Salary can differ by location and experience, from the low-end average of $63,720 to the high-end of $132,680. Depending on your workplace, your employer may be able to offer higher or lower compensation:

• General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: $96,830
• Offices of Physicians: $83,110
• Outpatient Care Centers: $102,640
• Home Health Care Services: $87,430

Salaries also vary depending on which state a rheumatology nurse practices. Nurses may earn more on the West Coast, New England states, and Alaska, but these locations also come with a higher cost of living.

The top-paying areas for rheumatology nurses include:

• San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA: $174,370
• Vallejo-Fairfield, CA: $171,620
• San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $170,780
• Napa, CA: $166,180
• Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA: $154,510
• Santa Rosa, CA: $152,930
• Modesto, CA: $145,190
• Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: $140,880
• San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles–Arroyo Grande, CA: $140,560
• Stockton-Lodi, CA: $138,420

Are Rheumatology Nurses in High Demand?

A recent study published in Rheumatology and Therapy found that nurse-led care of patients with rheumatic disease led to similar outcomes as rheumatology physicians, but with much better documentation. Another study found great success when rheumatology nurses took the lead on assessment and education on diet, medications, and exercise.

All nursing specialties are experiencing a shortage in the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that 24% of U.S. hospitals have reported critical staffing shortages. With new research highlighting the importance of nursing care in rheumatology, this specialty will be in high demand for some years to come.

Additional Resources for Rheumatology Nurses

To learn more about becoming a rheumatology nurse, these additional resources may help:

• Rheumatology Nurses Society
• American College of Rheumatology
• American Nurses Association
• Journal of Clinical Rheumatology