Training courses for healthcare professionals

Currently 1 in 7 GP consultations are related to musculoskeletal conditions (MSK). 20.3 million people in the UK are living with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition and this is constantly increasing.

We know that many primary care professionals feel that they lack the skills and confidence to effectively support these patients and Versus Arthritis are here to help change this.

We have a range of training courses designed to increase the knowledge, confidence, and skills of healthcare professionals to ensure high quality care is delivered to patients with MSK conditions. All our training has been designed for primary healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis, treatment and ongoing management of patients with arthritis and related MSK conditions.

You will find details below of all our training courses, including dates and how to book your place. Please note there is a small amount of overlap in content between some of our courses. For further information about this please email professionalengagement@versusarthritis.org.

If you work within a Vocational Training Scheme, ICB, GP partnership, or another organisation working with healthcare professionals, we can organise a workshop specifically for you and your team. You can contact Donna Andrew, Healthcare Professional Training and Education Manager to discuss this further: d.andrew@versusarthritis.org.

The Core Skills in Musculoskeletal Care course focuses on developing the practical skills required in a typical 10-minute primary care consultation.

The training provides a supportive environment for primary healthcare professionals to develop confidence and skills in the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients with MSK conditions.

Delegates reported a 47% increase in knowledge of the subject area following the training, a 30% increase in examination skills and a 31% increase in confidence diagnosing and treating patients with MSK conditions. 99% of attendees would recommend this training.

Learning outcomes:

1. Enjoy MSK consultations.
2. Identify the prevalence of MSK conditions in primary care.
3. Gain confidence in taking an effective history from an MSK patient, including eliciting red flags and psychosocial flags.
4. Demonstrate understanding of examination of the MSK patient, including the discriminating features of the examination.
5. Practice explanation of the diagnosis.
6. Formulate a management plan, including appropriate investigations, referral, safety net and follow-up.
7. Signpost patients to useful information.
8. Learn techniques to signpost to supported self-management.

The course is delivered as a one day face to face course or a four part online course.

Structure of the face to face course

The day begins with lecture style learning about the prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions and osteoarthritis. Delegates are then split into smaller groups for three workshops to practice history taking, examination and explanation skills including a management plan for each of the following:

• Low back pain and sciatica.
• Lower limb (with a focus on the knee).
• Upper limb (with a focus on the shoulder).

Delegates will receive a course handbook, a certificate upon completion and 7 CPD points. Cost: £165 (2024/25 price, 2025/26 price will be £220).

View the video below to see the workshop in action

Structure of the digital course

This online course is delivered over four weekly 2x hour Microsoft Teams sessions.

Session 1 - Introduction to musculoskeletal conditions, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia

Session 2 - Low back pain and sciatica

Session 3 - Lower limb

Session 4 - Upper limb

The trainer will go through an example examination demonstration and explanation, including a management plan, using patient case studies.

Delegates will receive a course handbook, a certificate upon completion and 8 CPD points. Cost: £155.

New for 2025!

We have combined our full day practical core skills training workshop and our 3-hour MSK Bitesize webinar to bring you a one stop shop in all things you need to know to be able to confidently diagnose MSK conditions in primary care.

Our full day face to face workshop focuses on the lower limb, the upper limb and the spine and gives you the opportunity to work in small groups to practice your history taking, examination and communication skills and to formulate a management plan aligned with latest NICE guidelines.

Shortly after the one day course you will attend the online MSK Bitesize training. This is a 3-hour session and will be recorded and shared if you are unable to attend the live session. The MSK Bitesize session incudes case-based discussions focusing on some of the rarer MSK conditions that you may find yourself presented with, e.g. inflammatory arthritis, fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, myeloma, gout, hypermobility, paediatric MSK and lupus with a recap on osteoarthritis and support on physical activity conversations.

You will receive resource handouts, slide decks, recording of the webinar and a certificate for 10 hours of CPD. Cost: £220

Upcoming courses:

Core Skills in Musculoskeletal Care London plus MSK Bitesize

Face to Face workshop: Tuesday 10th June 2025 9-5pm

Lift Islington, 45 White Lion Street, London, N1 9PW

Deadline for booking: Monday 2nd June

MSK Bitesize webinar: Thursday 17th July 2025, 6-9pm

Sign up now

Core Skills in Musculoskeletal Care digital course

·        Wednesday 17^th & 24^th September, 1^st & 8^th October 2025 6:30-8:30pm. Sign up now.

·        Thursday 22^nd & 29^th January, 5^th & 12^th February 2026 6:30-8:30pm. Sign up now.

Delegates must be able to attend all four dates in their course.

Core Skills in Musculoskeletal Care Sheffield plus MSK Bitesize

Face to face workshop: Tuesday 4th November 2025 9-5pm

Sheffield United Football Club, Bramall Lane, Sheffield, S2 4SU

Deadline for booking: Tuesday 28th October

MSK Bitesize webinar: Wednesday 10th December 6-9pm

Sign up now

A 3-hour webinar that focuses on different MSK conditions that can present in primary care, as well as a section about physical activity and the role it can play in preventing and managing MSK conditions and patients’ wellbeing. The topics covered in this session are:

• Osteoarthritis
• Inflammatory arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Polymyalgia Rheumatica
• Myeloma
• Gout
• Hypermobility
• Paediatric MSK
• Lupus
• Physical Activity

Cost: £45.

Upcoming webinars

·        Wednesday 30^th April 2025 6-9pm. Sign up now.

·        Thursday 17^th July 2025 6-9pm. Sign up now.

·        Wednesday 10^th December 2025 6-9pm. Sign up now.

Differentiating between inflammatory arthritis and fibromyalgia syndrome is a difficult skill in a primary care setting, with huge implications for the patient and the NHS. This two-hour webinar covers:

·        The clues in the history and examination that will help

·        How to use investigations sensibly and cost-effectively

·        How to communicate and explain the diagnosis

·        How to facilitate self-management, including various types of patient information.

Cost: £25.

Upcoming webinars

We currently don't have any webinars schedules, please sign up to the professional network to be the first to hear about new course dates as they are announced.

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Please note that cancellations made 28 days before the training course date will receive a 100% refund.  Any cancellations made 27 days or less before the course date will not receive refund.

We will be delivering a programme of MSK education sessions at the Primary Care Show 2025 conference. This free conference for healthcare professionals is held over two days, 14th and 15th May at the NEC, Birmingham. Versus Arthritis will be delivering nine sessions across the two days focused on different arthritis and MSK related topics.

Topics we will be covering:

• The role of imaging in diagnosing musculoskeletal conditions, focusing on osteoarthritis
• Supporting your musculoskeletal patients to reduce their use of opioids
• Presentations of autoimmune conditions in primary care, including polymyalgia rheumatica, psoriatic arthritis and lupus
• Foot pain in patients with inflammatory arthritis
• Diagnosis and personalised care approaches to foot and ankle pain in primary care
• Navigating diagnostic uncertainty in patients with musculoskeletal pain
• Supporting your patients to live well with arthritis
• The BSR Guidelines on prescribing drugs in pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Diagnosis and management of osteoarthritis of the hand in primary care.

The dates and times of these sessions are yet to be confirmed. They will be printed in the online conference programme in the coming weeks.

Book your place at the conference and come and join us for some free MSK training. We will also have an exhibition stand at the conference where you can come and talk to one of the team and get some resources to take to your workplace.