Rheumatology
Rheumatologists are doctors who diagnose and manage chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatic conditions can affect people at any age.
Those under 16 are generally treated in paediatric rheumatology services, before starting to transition to care within adult rheumatology settings.
Life as a rheumatologist
You’ll diagnose and manage musculoskeletal conditions including inflammatory and non-inflammatory disorders, which can affect people’s bones, joints, muscles and soft tissues.You’ll treat people with:
- inflammatory joint disease, for example rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis
- degenerative joint disease, for example osteoarthritis
- autoimmune disease, for example lupus, scleroderma, myositis
- metabolic bone disorders, for example osteoporosis
- crystal arthropathies, for example gout or pseudogout
- musculoskeletal infections
Rheumatologists work to improve the lives of children and adults with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease. You’ll spend quite a bit of time in outpatients speaking to and examining patients and undertaking investigations such as plain x-rays, ultrasound scans and MRI scans.
You’ll see inpatient referrals from all over the hospital.
Many rheumatologists do practical procedures such as joint injections and/ or muscle biopsies.
How much can I earn?
You’ll first earn a salary when you start your foundation training after medical school. Find out details of current salary ranges for foundation and specialty training, SAS doctors and consultants on the Pay for doctors page.
How about the benefits?
- make a difference
- flexible and part-time working
- high income early in your career
- work anywhere in the world
- excellent pension scheme
- good holiday entitlement
- NHS discounts in shops and restaurants
Must-have skills
- excellent communication skills to manage a wide range of relationships with colleagues, and patients and their families
- emotional resilience, a calm temperament and the ability to work well under pressure
- teamwork and the capacity to lead multidisciplinary teams
- problem-solving and diagnostic skills
- outstanding organisational ability and effective decision-making skills
- first-class time and resource management for the benefit of patients
Entry requirements
Your first step is medical school. Typically, you’ll need excellent GCSEs and three A or A* passes at A level including chemistry for a five-year undergraduate degree in medicine. Many medical schools also ask for biology and others may require maths or physics.
If you already have a degree, you could study for a four-year postgraduate degree in medicine.
You’ll need to pass an interview and admissions test. You’ll be asked to show how you demonstrate the NHS values such as compassion and respect.
Some medical schools look to recruit a mix of students from different backgrounds and geographical areas, so your educational and economic background and family circumstances could be considered as part of your application.
What are my chances of starting a career as a rheumatologist?
There are approximately 699 rheumatologists working in the NHS in England. In 2020, there were 199 applications for 33 specialty training places.
How to become a rheumatologist
After medical school, you’ll join the paid two-year foundation programme where you’ll work in six placements in different settings.
After your foundation programme, you can apply for paid specialty training to become a rheumatologist, which will take a minimum of seven years.
You may be able to train part time, for example for health reasons or if you have family or caring responsibilities.
Where a career as a rheumatologist can take you
You’ll have the opportunity to develop sub-specialty interests such as:- paediatric rheumatology
- metabolic bone disease
- autoimmune multi-system connective tissue diseases
You may also have opportunities to conduct research or take on education and leadership roles.
-
Consultant Rheumatologist
Llanelli, SA14 8QF
- Salary :
- £110240.00 to £160951.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Hywel Dda University Health Board
-
Consultant Rheumatologist
Haverfordwest, SA61 2PZ
- Salary :
- £110240.00 to £160951.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Hywel Dda University Health Board
-
Consultant Rheumatologist
Barrow in Furness, LA14 4LF
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust
-
Consultant Rheumatologist
Oldham, OL1 1NL
- Salary :
- Negotiable
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Vita Health Group
-
Consultant Rheumatologist
Blackpool, FY3 8NR
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
-
Consultant Rheumatologist
Warwick, CV34 5BW
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
-
Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist
Southampton, SO16 6YD
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust
-
GPwER - Rheumatology
Birmingham, B16 8PE
- Salary :
- £10750.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Modality LLP
-
Rheumatology Consultant
Nuneaton, CV10 7DJ
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
-
Rheumatology Consultant
Salisbury, SP2 8BJ
- Salary :
- £105504.00 to £139882.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
-
Clinical Fellow - Rheumatology
Birmingham, B16 8PE
- Salary :
- £10250.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Modality LLP
-
Consultant in Rheumatology
Harrow, HA1 3UJ
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
-
Rheumatology Systems Administrator
Doncaster, DN2 5LT
- Salary :
- £24937.00 to £26598.00
- Type :
- Fixed-Term
- Employer :
- Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT
-
Consultant in Rheumatology
Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5TG
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Isle of Wight NHS Trust
-
Specialist Physiotherapist Practitioner Rheumatology
Bradford, BD5 0NA
- Salary :
- £38682.00 to £46580.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
-
Lead Pharmacist - Rheumatology & MSK
Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 0RY
- Salary :
- £55690.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
-
Band 4 Rheumatology Patient Navigator
Barnet, EN5 3DJ
- Salary :
- £32199.00 to £34876.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
-
Senior Musculoskeletal & Rheumatology Physiotherapist/Osteopath
Burton on Trent, DE13 0RB
- Salary :
- £38682.00 to £46580.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
-
Consultant in Rheumatology *Welcome Bonus 20K*
Ipswich, IP4 5PD
- Salary :
- £109725.00 to £145478.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
-
Band 7 Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist - Rheumatology
Gorleston, NR31 6LA
- Salary :
- £47810.00 to £54710.00
- Type :
- Permanent
- Employer :
- James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Showing 6 of 20 results
-
These organisations have further information about being a rheumatologist, particularly as your career progresses. Take a look.
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
British Society for Rheumatology
And hear from people working in rheumatology:
Dr Alan J Hakim, consultant in rheumatology and acute medicine (RCP)
Dr Derek Baxter, consultant rheumatologist (RCPE)
Dr Muhammad Farooq Kazmi – ST6, consultant rheumatologist (RCPE)