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 an 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 health care professionals to ensure high quality care is delivered to patients with MSK conditions.

You will find details below of all our training courses, including dates and how to book your place.

If you work within a Vocational Training Scheme, Clinical Commissioning Group, GP partnership, or another organisation working with healthcare professionals, we can organise a workshop specifically for you and your team. Please view our training menu (PDF, 100 KB), you can also download the Word version of the training menu here, (Word, 44 KB) or contact professionalengagement@versusarthritis.org for further information of how you can do this.

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

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

In a recent external evaluation the net promoter score for the workshops was 93.5, regarded as world class and 99% of participants said the training met their learning needs.

When is the training?

Saturday 8th March 2025

9-5pm

The Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, Birmingham, B5 4EW

Deadline for booking: Tuesday 4th March 2025

Cost: £165

Once registered, a confirmation email will be sent to all delegates with instructions on how to join the meeting.

*Cancellations made 28 days before the event (8th February 2025) will receive a 100% refund.  Any cancellations made 27 days or less before the workshop will not receive a refund.

Who is the training for?

The course has been designed by GPs primarily for GPs and GP Trainees but is also beneficial for other primary healthcare professionals such as Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists and Physiotherapists who support patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

What will I learn?

The workshop is split into three main sections:

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

Key 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 trainer will go through an example examination demonstration and explanation, including a management plan.

You will receive a course handbook, a certificate upon completion, 7 CPD points for the face-to-face workshop.

How do I access the training?

The training is available as a full day face to face workshop.

The face-to-face workshop begins with lecture style learning to a large group of delegates and then there is the opportunity to break off into smaller groups later in the day to get really hands on and practice your history taking and examination skills.

When is the training?

"We do not currently have any dates scheduled. Please sign up to our professional network to be the first to hear about course dates as they are confirmed.

What will I learn?

This online course will cover:

Session 1 - Introduction to musculoskeletal conditions, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia

Session 2 - Low back pain and sciatica

Session 3 - Lower limb

Session 4 - Upper limb

Key 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 trainer will go through an example examination demonstration and explanation, including a management plan.

You will receive a course handbook, a certificate upon completion, 8 CPD points for the online course.

This trainer led short course is designed to help you differentiate between inflammatory arthritis and fibromyalgia.

When is the training?

We do not currently have any dates scheduled. Please sign up to our professional network to be the first to hear about course dates as they are confirmed.

Sign up to our professional network now

“I loved the video yourself part; it was interactive with a large remote audience. The experience of registering, accessing the webinar, listening to the speaker, interacting with the facilitators was perfect.” – RCGP CPD Lead.

“The event was punchy and challenged the attendees to think in a different way. It also used activities like recording ourselves to show that this is an area that clinicians do not communicate well in. The RELIEF NIFTIE tool for assessing gave a good framework going forward.” – RCGP Faculty Lead.

Who is the training for?

This training is aimed at GPs and other primary care professionals involved in diagnosing and supporting patients with MSK conditions.

What will I learn?

Differentiating between inflammatory arthritis and fibromyalgia is a difficult skill in a primary care setting, with huge implications for the patient and NHS.

This training session will cover:

• 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.

You will receive a session handout and a certificate of attendance.

How do I access the training?

This training is delivered as a two-hour session online by an experienced trainer via Microsoft Teams. The session is interactive with the opportunity to ask questions throughout and take part in activities.

An online course that focuses on ten MSK conditions that can present in primary care.

Managing chronic pain can be one of the most difficult aspects of primary care for both doctors and patients. This trainer led short course looks at the NICE chronic primary pain guidelines and ways to put these into practice.

When is the training?

We do not currently have any dates scheduled. Please sign up to our professional network to be the first to hear about course dates as they are confirmed.

Sign up to our professional network now

Who is it for?

This training is aimed at GPs and other primary care professionals involved in diagnosing and supporting patients with MSK conditions.

What will I learn?

This training session will cover:

• An outline of the NICE guidelines and what they mean for the doctor and patient.
• New consultation skills to manage difficult interactions.
• The principles of medication use.
• Resources that can help.

You will receive a session handout and a certificate of attendance.

How do I access the training?

This training is delivered as a two-hour session online by an experienced trainer via Microsoft Teams. The session is interactive with the opportunity to ask questions throughout and take part in activities.

If you work within a Vocational Training Scheme, Clinical Commissioning Group, GP partnership, RCGP faculty or another organisation working with healthcare professionals, we can organise a training course specifically for you.

Please view our training menu (PDF, 204 KB), you can also download the Word version of the training menu here, (Word, 43 KB) or email us at professionalengagement@versusarthritis.org for further information and to discuss how we can help you improve the MSK knowledge and confidence of the healthcare professionals you work with.

You can also sign up to the Versus Arthritis professional network to be the first to hear of any new course dates, as well as being kept up to date with the latest MSK updates.

Sign up to our professional network