How to Become a Diabetes Nurse Educator

A diabetes nurse educator is an essential member of the care team, helping guide patients through initial diagnosis, complication management, and decision-making. If you love patient education and coaching and are looking for a way to help people with diabetes live better, you could be a great fit for this role.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common diseases worldwide and the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. It was first mentioned in texts from between 250 and 300 BC, combining the Greek diabetes, meaning to pass through, with the Latin mellitus, meaning sweet. In 1922, treatment of the disease changed forever when scientists used a cow pancreas to develop the first purified insulin.

Today, 8.4 million Americans rely on insulin to survive, and the incidence of diabetes is growing worldwide. It’s a complex disease that comes in many forms and may require frequent blood glucose monitoring, patient counseling, and specialty expertise. A nurse educator specializing in diabetes can serve patients in a variety of settings:

• Outpatient diabetes specialty clinics
• Community health centers
• Acute care hospitals
• Home health agencies

What Is a Diabetes Nurse Educator and What Do They Do?

These nurses have specialty expertise in managing diabetes and its complications. Their primary role is to coach, educate, and assist patients in making informed decisions about their treatment plans. While they typically provide less hands-on care, their role combines skills of communication, collaboration, case management, and more.

The day-to-day responsibilities of this role vary, but here are a few duties that a diabetes nurse educator may have:

• Assess patients’ hemoglobin A1c levels, knowledge, and any signs of complications.
• Counsel patients on nutrition, exercise, and behavior changes for glycemic control.
• Educate patients on how to recognize hyper- and hypoglycemia.
• Set patients up with new glucose monitoring devices.
• Lead group education classes or workshops.
• Document patient progress, interventions, and education in the electronic health record.
• Stay current on diabetes research, technology, and evolving treatment guidelines.
• Order insulin per protocol.

Pros and Cons of a Career as a Nurse Diabetes Educator

This specialty role is unique and comes with potential benefits and drawbacks, depending on your preferences. See the pros and cons below:

Benefits:

• Less physical work than most acute care roles
• Opportunity to spend more time counseling patients
• Typically, no weekend or holiday requirements
• Expanded practice scope under protocols

Drawbacks:

• Insurance coverage issues can lead to frustration
• Having to frequently correct misinformation about food and diet
• An office schedule may mean less flexibility than shift work

Nurse Diabetes Educator Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average salary for health education specialists is $71,700 per year. The average annual salary for registered nurses is $98,430. Your salary will depend on your experience, work setting, additional certifications, and location.

How to Become a Diabetes Nurse Educator: 4 Steps

If you’re wondering,How do I become a diabetes educator nurse?, read the steps below to learn the requirements for this role. If you’re already a nurse, skip to step three.

Step 1: Go to Nursing School

If you know you want to work in diabetes education, a prelicensure RN program is the best way to start. There are two degree paths to become an RN. The shorter track, an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), takes at least two years, while a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) takes at least four. Learn about comparing ADN vs. BSN degrees.

Diabetes education for nurses starts in nursing school, where you’ll take courses in anatomy and physiology and learn about the pathophysiology of diabetes. During clinical rotations, you’ll likely see patients with diabetes, practice finger stick glucose tests, and administer insulin per sliding scale. Nursing school can be challenging, so learn more about study habits to help you succeed.

Step 2: Become an RN

Once you graduate from nursing school, there’s one more hurdle you’ll need to jump to become an RN — passing the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX). This nationwide test is designed to determine whether you have the baseline knowledge to practice nursing at the entry level. It’s an adaptive exam with between 85 and 150 questions.

Depending on your state, there will be an additional application process either before or after you pass the NCLEX. This typically requires a licensure fee, background check, fingerprints, and official school transcripts.

Step 3: Gain Experience in Diabetic Care

Now it’s time to transition from student to working nurse. Working as a patient educator is typically not an option for new grad nurses, since these roles require depth of experience. But there are many areas where you’ll be exposed to patients with diabetes, and you can start building your skills. You might look for jobs in med-surg, geriatric care, emergency department, post-acute care, and more.

Many new grads start their careers in residency programs because this creates structure around their first year of work. As you gain experience, look for roles that specialize in diabetes management, such as jobs in diabetes clinics and home health. You may also want to take a course in diabetes management to deepen your knowledge.

Step 4: Become Certified as a Diabetes Nurse Educator

Once you have at least two years of experience in diabetes care, you can earn certification to become a diabetic educator. Certification helps show your dedication to the specialty and can boost your career.

The most common credential in this field is the Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES), offered by the Certification Board of Diabetes Care and Education (CBDCE). A more advanced credential, offered by the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES), is the Board Certified – Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM) certification.

Nurse Diabetes Educator FAQ

What’s the job outlook for diabetes nurse educators?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the demand for health education specialists will grow by 7% in the next several years, and that the demand for nurses will grow by 6% — both faster than average for all occupations.

Do I need a certification to work as a diabetes nurse educator?

It depends on the role. Many positions state that applicants must be certified or require certification within a few years of hiring.

Does a diabetes educator have to be a nurse?

No. View some of the professional titles that can be certified as a diabetes educator below:

• Registered nurse
• Physician
• Physical therapist
• Occupational therapist
• Dietitian or dietitian nutritionist
• Clinical psychologist
• Optometrist
• Physician assistants
• Pharmacist
• Exercise physiologist
• Podiatrist

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