Certified Diabetes Educator

EGVnurse · Apr 9, 2014

Hi there! I recently started a new job as a Diabetes Nurse Educator and I love it. I'm not a CDE yet but I'm working on it.

To sit for the exam, you need to have documentation of 1,000 contacts hours of direct diabetes self-management education. But you can apply to take the exam when you have ~800 hours, I think. I started documenting on a spreadsheet the number of hours I spent with patients, the number of patients and support people I educated, as well as the location and brief description of the type of education provided (i.e. newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, insulin management).

Wherever you're working now, start documenting what you do. It can be as simple as teaching a patient the importance of insulin injection site rotation. Seek out volunteer opportunities through the American Diabetes Association (ADA) or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to educate patients in the community. Also, some free community clinics will welcome a RN who can offer educational services to their patients with diabetes.

As you're accumulating hours, start studying. The website: http://www.ncbde.org/ has helpful resources and guides for studying for the CDE exam. The examination handbook (http://www.ncbde.org/certification_info/examination-handbook/) has some outlines for the material you'll need to know.

Hope this helps! Best of luck!

SteveDE · Apr 10, 2014

My understanding is that for the 1000 hours of instruction, you can use your payroll log. If you are on the job as a diabetes educator, you are doing the job of a diabetes educator. If this sounds correct to others, this could be an easier way to keep track and make your 1000 hour requirement.