Curriculum

Rheumatology Fellowship Program at Jersey City Medical Center

The Rutgers Health/Jersey City Medical Center Rheumatology Fellowship is a two-year ACGME-accredited training program designed to produce highly competent rheumatologists skilled in clinical care, research, quality improvement (QI), and education. Training primarily occurs at Jersey City Medical Center (JCMC), with Pediatric Rheumatology rotations at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBI).

Clinical Rotations

Year 1 (PGY-4): Clinical Foundation

  • Core Adult Rheumatology (7.5 blocks): Inpatient consults and outpatient clinics at JCMC.
  • Selective (Mandatory Rotations, 3 blocks):
    • Pediatric Rheumatology (1 block at NBI)
    • Orthopedic and Sports Medicine
    • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy
  • Research Rotation (1 block): Initiate research/QI projects; preparation for conference presentations.
  • Vacation (1 block)
  • On boarding (0.5 block)

Year 2 (PGY-5): Advanced Clinical & Scholarly Training

  • Core Adult Rheumatology (5.5 blocks): Senior fellow role, managing complex cases.
  • Selective (Mandatory Rotations, 2 blocks):
    • Pediatric Rheumatology (1 block at NBI)
    • Orthopedic and Sports Medicine
    • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy
  • Electives (3.5 blocks): Tailored experiences chosen from available electives; advanced MSK ultrasound (USSONAR) training encouraged but not mandatory.

Elective Options (PGY-5 only) Any Selective rotations, Musculoskeletal Radiology, Infusion Center/Hem-Onc, MSK-ultrasonography, Pulmonology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neuroimmunology, Ophthalmology.These may be combined 2 or 3 per block.

  • Research Rotation (1 block): Complete and present scholarly and QI projects.
  • Vacation (1 block)

Typical Block-by-Block Schedule

Longitudinal Experiences

  • Continuity Clinic:
    • Fellow Clinic: Fridays at Colony Plaza throughout fellowship.
    • Faculty Clinic: Additional weekly half-day clinic rotating (q4m) with different attending physicians.
    • Lupus Clinic: Monthly clinic.
    • Combined Rheumatology-Nephrology Clinic: Monthly clinic half-day.
  • Ultrasound Training: Available through local mentors, resources, and US machines; USSONAR curriculum encouraged but not mandatory.

Vacation

  • Fellows receive 4 weeks of vacation per year, which can be taken all at once or in two blocks of 2 weeks each, to be coordinated among fellows to assure uninterrupted hospital service coverage.

Didactic and Conference Schedule

Weekly protected education time (Mondays, 8–10 AM):

  • Week 1: State-of-the-art core lecture (open to Internal Medicine residents)
  • Week 2: Journal Club
  • Week 3: Review article discussion (Nature Rheumatology, A&R, NEJM) or Board Review
  • Week 4: Case Conference (Radiology/Pathology integrated, open to IM) or Morbidity & Mortality or research project presentation
  • Monthly Immunology Review: 1st Wednesday morning, one chapter monthly from "Basic Immunology: Functions and Disorders of the Immune System" by Abul K. Abbas, 7th edition.

Research and Quality Improvement

  • Fellows complete at least one scholarly research and one QI project during fellowship.
  • Projects mentored by faculty, culminating in presentations at local/national meetings.

Professional Development

  • PGY-4 Fellows encouraged to attend State-of-the-Art (SOTA) ACR meeting and the Penn Rheumatology First-Year Fellows Conference.
  • PGY-5 Fellows attend the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Annual Meeting.
  • Optional participation in external educational symposia (e.g., ACR Review Course, NJRA spring meeting, NJRA fellow conference TBD).

Recommended Reading Sources

Journals

  • Arthritis & Rheumatology
    Official journal of the American College of Rheumatology, publishing peer-reviewed research on rheumatic diseases.
    Website, Wikipedia+8Wolters Kluwer+8Acr Journals+8
  • The Rheumatologist
    A publication of the American College of Rheumatology and the Association of Rheumatology Professionals, offering news and insights for rheumatology professionals.
    Website, American College of Rheumatology+1NCBI+1
  • Nature Reviews Rheumatology
    A high-impact, peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of rheumatology.
    Website
  • The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
    A premier general medical journal publishing new medical research and review articles.
    Website, New England Journal of Medicine

Clinical Decision Support

Textbooks

  • Rheumatology, 2-Volume Set, 8th Edition
    Edited by Marc C. Hochberg et al., this comprehensive text covers the scientific basis and clinical practice of rheumatology.
    Publisher Lackawanna College Online Bookstore+4Elsevier Shop+4World of Books+4
  • Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases, 13th Edition
    Published by the Arthritis Foundation, this primer provides concise information on various rheumatic diseases.
    Publisher, Amazon+2eBay+2Chegg+2
  • Rheumatology Secrets, 5th Edition
    By Jason Kolfenbach, this book offers a question-and-answer format covering essential topics in rheumatology.
    Publisher Elsevier Shop+2Barnes & Noble+2Amazon+2
  • Basic Immunology: Functions and Disorders of the Immune System, 7th Edition
    By Abul K. Abbas et al., this text provides foundational knowledge in immunology relevant to rheumatology.