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Living with Diabetes 101 is written by registered nurses and diabetes educators.

Why I became a Diabetes Educator

May 26, 2016
 

One of my clients who is on an insulin pump came in recently for his regular three-month checkup. "How did you get into this? Diabetes education that is,” he asked me.

Hmm, that really got me thinking. I have to say this is the last place I thought I would be when I started my nursing career 30 years ago. I thought diabetes was “boring.” Boy, was I wrong!

During my first 15 years in the nursing field, I tried many different specialties. Each one I loved, but I was always looking for the next intriguing specialty, a chance to learn new things.

That was before the “epidemic” of Type II diabetes was fully recognized. I noticed while practicing in various fields of nursing that there was this huge void of knowledge for people who had been newly diagnosed with diabetes.  They weren’t sure where to turn or what to do.  People were being admitted to the hospital for high blood sugar with no idea they were at risk for diabetes. Once diagnosed, all sorts of confusing information would come raining down on them.

Managing blood sugar involves so many variables: food, exercise, emotion, medicines. It takes knowledge and support to be able to manage all these variables. I found my niche in helping people navigate a path that is constantly changing. Every day there are new discoveries in the world and work of diabetes.

To answer my client’s question, I realized it was the patients I encountered that made me choose this direction. It is those people with diabetes who wanted to know everything. Their strength and fortitude in the face of adversity keeps me going every day!

For more information on becoming a Certified Diabetes Educator go to:
https://www.diabeteseducator.org/education-career/becoming-a-diabetes-educator






 

Tags: DaCruz, diabetes

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