02 March 2022
Vasculitis is our theme for this month’s Spotlight on our eLearning platform. We speak to Dr Chetan Mukhtyar, consultant rheumatologist at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust who has a clinical and research interest in vasculitis.
Can you tell us about your training and career?
I qualified in India then finished a MD, which was a hybrid programme of research and clinical training. I ended up researching quinolones in salmonella. Following that, I generally got disillusioned with my options, and so my wife and I came to the UK, ending up first in East London.
We didn’t really have a plan and it took a year to get a job, which was extremely difficult. My first post was a clinical attachment in rheumatology at Homerton Hospital with Dr Asgar Bhanji, who kindled an interest in rheumatology. We then moved to Doncaster, where I got a job on the medical rotation as a senior house officer (SHO).
When did you know that vasculitis was the area of interest for you?
I did my SHO training in Doncaster and completed my MRCP. From there I got a registrar role in Reading, which was part of the Oxford Deanery. While in Oxford. I got a fellowship at the University of Oxford with Dr Raashid Luqmani, and then vasculitis became a lifelong passion.
Was it difficult to find nurses for your vasculitis clinic?
We have a strong history pioneering the way specialist nurses should work. Dr Janice Mooney was one of the first vasculitis nurses in the country, having worked alongside my predecessor, Prof David Scott. I enticed her back into clinical medicine from the university to work with me in our vasculitis clinic, where patients would see us both, alongside a renal physician and a chest physician.
Janice has since retired, but along came GIRFT, which showed the importance of having a vasculitis nurse. We now have a band 7 specialist nurse who has been with us for two years. I’ve been able to invest time and effort in training her about vasculitis theory, clinical examination and therapeutics. She’s also been encouraged to register for a prescribing course at the University of East Anglia and I’m teaching her ultrasonography for giant cell arteritis. We aim to be able to include ultrasound monitoring in the nurse-led vasculitis monitoring clinics.
What roles have you had within BSR?
I’ve worked in BSR roles for 12 years and it gives you a deep understanding of how the society works and what it does for us. For me it started off with winning the election as the trainee rep for the Heberden Committee.
Alongside Prof Hector Chinoy, who was a fellow trainee at the time, we created and convened the first ever trainees’ session at Annual Conference. From there I’ve been on the Clinical Affairs Committee, the East of England Regional Chair and been Honorary Secretary.
What would you say to others about getting involved?
Most of us working in rheumatology have altruism in our heart; it’s the nature of the specialty. We have to channel that into making sure we contribute to the society that gives us so much.
BSR gives us everything we need to practice rheumatology. It’s the home of British rheumatology, but it can’t function without us. We need to make sure we’re all standing up and being counted with engagement from every single professional working in the specialty.
Many thanks to Dr Mukhtyar for sharing his expertise. Log onto our eLearning platform to improve your skills and knowledge around treating vasculitis.
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