Becoming a Certified Diabetes Educator

• More than 38 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with diabetes, meaning there’s a need for nurses who are also certified as a diabetes educator. 
• Officially known as Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (CDCES), practitioners with this certification help patients navigate their often-complicated chronic metabolic condition. 
• CDCES professionals can expect to earn, on average, between $65,000 and $95,000 per year. 

More than 38 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And the cost of diabetes is $413 billion, with $306 billion in direct costs and $106 billion indirect costs, including lost days of work. 

On one hand, that’s a staggering number of people who have a costly, chronic metabolic condition who need education and support. On the other (cynical) hand, that’s job security for nurses, particularly those who are interested in becoming a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). 

What is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist? 

A CDCES helps patients with diabetes navigate their often-complicated chronic metabolic condition. 

The role focuses on empowering patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare, from lifestyle modifications to medication management, so they can control their diabetes rather than be controlled by it.  

Nurses are in a prime role to become diabetes educators, as a growing number of patients have diabetes and diabetic complications. Even if your patient is admitted for a different acute problem, up to 30% may have diabetes as a comorbidity.  

Becoming a CDCES allows you to gain additional knowledge about this condition and provide more tailored support to a population that requires ongoing education and management. 

What are the Duties of a Certified Diabetes Educator?

With additional education about diabetes mellitus, certified diabetes educators help individuals with diabetes manage their condition through updated education and behavior modification. They support and explain clinical management as ordered by a prescribing provider.  

Here are some of the primary duties: 

1. Patient Education: Educating people with diabetes on self-management strategies, including blood glucose monitoring, medication adherence, meal planning, and physical movement. Ideally, a provider sends patients to a CDCES for more intense education (which is covered by insurance) to empower them toward self-care.  
2. Personalized Care Plans: Working with patients to develop tailored care plans that address their specific needs, lifestyle, and health goals, while considering cultural and socioeconomic factors. 
3. Collaborative Care: Coordinating care with a multidisciplinary team, including endocrinologists, primary care providers, dietitians, podiatrists, optometrists, and mental health professionals to ensure comprehensive and holistic diabetes management. 
4. Behavioral Counseling: Providing support for behavior-change strategies, such as smoking cessation, weight management, and stress reduction. 
5. Monitoring and Adjusting Treatment: Assessing patients’ progress toward the medical plan prescribed by the provider. A CDCES cannot adjust medications unless they are a prescriber (MD, NP, or PA), but they can make recommendations for adjusting care plans or treatment strategies, including insulin management as needed based on clinical outcomes. 
6. Technology Use: Assisting patients in understanding and using diabetes-related technology like continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), insulin pumps, and apps for tracking health data. 
7. Community Outreach: Engaging in public health initiatives or community programs aimed at diabetes prevention, education, and awareness. 
8. Documentation and Reporting: Ensuring accurate documentation of education sessions, patient progress, and care plans within healthcare systems or medical records. 

What are the Work Settings of a CDCES? 

A CDCES generally works in a hospital or doctor’s office setting but can also be employed in an outpatient doctor’s office or clinic or a privately owned office unassociated with a hospital or doctor’s office. They can also be self-employed. 

Some hospital facilities will hire a full-time CDCES to teach both in-patient and out-patient clients. Within the hospital, the CDCES may make rounds for all admitted patients and complete an assessment, review labs, and provide direct patient education. They may make formal recommendations to the primary prescriber for medication management and adjustment as needed. They may also work in a diabetes clinic attached to the hospital to offer individual and group classes for people with diabetes. 

Some diabetes educators may work as consultants from home and even offer patient education through telemedicine or come to the hospital or a doctor’s office for patient education and consultation. 

What is the Average Salary Range for a Diabetes Educator?

The average salary for a CDCES varies based on location, experience, and setting. On average, CDCES professionals can expect to earn between $65,000 and $95,000 per year. In some areas, especially those with higher costs of living or greater demand for diabetes specialists, salaries can exceed $100,000 annually. If in private practice and working as a consultant, a CDCES may earn more by being able to bill directly for services rendered.  

How Do You Become a Diabetes Care and Education Specialist?

The certification process involves being an eligible candidate and passing the certification exam, which is recognized by the Association for Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES) 

To be eligible, candidates must meet the following criteria: 

• Licensure: You must be a licensed healthcare professional such as a nurse, physician, dietitian, or pharmacist with a current and active license. Retired nurses who no longer have their RN license would not qualify.  
• Experience: At least two years of professional practice and 1,000 hours of diabetes self-management education (DSME) within the past four years. When applying, the candidate signs an affidavit of honesty. The ADCES website and organization outline what qualifies as clinical hours, such as shadowing someone who is already a CDCES or actively working with people with diabetes. 
• Continuing Education: You need to complete 15 hours of continuing education in diabetes care and education within the past two years. For nurses who generally need at least 30 hours of continuing education in most states, getting the 15 hours is not difficult. But the CE hours do need to be topics related to diabetes. 

RELATED COURSE: Diabetes Management: Nursing Updates 

• Examination: After meeting the eligibility requirements, you’ll take a certification exam that covers the clinical and educational aspects of diabetes management. Exams are offered in all states and is available every June and December. The certification website discloses the qualified proctoring locations. 
• Fees: Like all certifications, the exam fee must be paid, which is $350 for a new certification and $250 for a recertification. The fees are lower with membership in the ADCES organization. 
• Education entry: Certification includes a new entry point through a masters in diabetes education. For advanced care providers, taking the more clinical based exam offers the board certified (BC) designation. 

The CDCES credential must be renewed every five years, which can be done through CE credits or by re-examination and paying the associated fee. 

How Can Becoming a Diabetes Educator Build My Career?

This certification can open doors to more opportunities within diabetes management teams, increase your knowledge, confidence, competency, and expand your work settings in community health or specialized clinics. It enables you to widen your impact, helping patients develop the confidence and skills to manage their diabetes effectively while supporting overall wellness and prevention of complications. 

The Bottom Line

Becoming a certified diabetes educator increases your confidence and competence to provide diabetes education to the millions who manage this chronic metabolic disorder. The certification requires you to fulfill the qualifying points before taking an exam. It can expand your career options, increase your salary and fill the growing need for diabetes specialists. 

Read More