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.

A free, online, self-paced e-learning programme to improve your skills and increase your knowledge and confidence in treating MSK conditions.

The programme has been developed in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). The eLearning course can be done as a standalone course or as a pre-requisite for attending our Core Skills in Musculoskeletal Care workshop.

Who is the training for?

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

What will I learn?

The programme contains two courses which are broken down into modules. The modules focus on a primary care approach to the assessment, diagnosis, investigation, and treatment of musculoskeletal problems.

Modules include:

• inflammatory arthritis
• osteoarthritis
• gout and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)
• fibromyalgia
• common upper and lower limb conditions
• back and neck pain.

Each module contains quizzes and assessments to test learning and aid understanding.

After completion of all modules, you’ll receive an e-certificate and 5 CPD points. The programme also counts towards CPD appraisals and you can download your comments to use as evidence in your portfolio.

How do I access the training?

The training is free and can be accessed through the RCGP e-learning platform http://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/msk.

When is the training?

You can work through the programme at your own pace, at a time convenient for you.

"Very useful – broadened my understanding and knowledge in dealing with one of the most common presentations in general practice." - Participant quote.

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.

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.
9. Prepare for working with physiotherapist FCPs.

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 and 8 CPD points for the digital workshop.

How do I access the training?

The training is available as a full day face to face workshop or as four 2-hour online sessions as a digital course.

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.

The digital course is delivered by an experienced trainer via Microsoft Teams across 4 2-hour sessions. The course provides ample time for group discussion and interactivity with video tutorials throughout. Versus Arthritis can provide support in accessing Microsoft Teams. No Microsoft Teams account is required to access the training.

When is the training?

The next Core Skills in Musculoskeletal Care workshop will be held online for four consecutive weeks on 7, 14, 21 & 28 March 2024, 6:30-8:30pm on Microsoft Teams.

Sign up for the course

Once registering, a confirmation email will be sent to all delegates with instructions of how to join the meeting event.

“An excellent day, I learned a lot and I am putting the knowledge to use in the management of my patients with musculoskeletal conditions.”

“This is the first course for a very long time where my expectations have not only been met but significantly exceeded.” – course delegate.

We're excited to announce that we will be holding our first Core Skills face to face training event since 2019 in Glasgow this September to deliver a full day interactive session, providing practical, hands-on learning. The course is accredited by the RCGP and endorsed by the British Society for Rheumatology.

Wednesday 27th September 2023
9am-5pm
Crowne Plaza, Glasgow, Scotland, G3 8QT

We have now reached capacity for this event, if you would like to go onto a waiting list for any spaces that may become available due to cancellation or unforeseen circumstances please contact Georgia (Healthcare Professional Education & Training) on g.bishop@versusarthritis.org

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

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.