Diabetic Educator Masters Degree




The diabetic population is growing these days. That is why there is a major need for certified diabetes educators across the country. If you want to become a diabetes educator, you should obtain a formal education from an accredited school. And a Master’s degree in a health care related subject is the minimum for this requirement.

Practice in Diabetic Nutrition

Then you should complete at least 2 years of professional practice as a doctor, licensed nurse, pharmacist, clinical dietitian or other health care provider. You’ll need to become specifically involved with diabetes education for the duration of the 2 qualifying years.

In addition, you should acquire at least 1000 hours of experience in a health care environment where you provide services as a diabetes educator. You should hold a job in a health care facility that treats diabetes on a regular basis. You must be employed at least 4 days a week, or the equivalent of 32 hours per 7 days.

Diabetes Educator Certification

An important step is a certification. A Certified Diabetes Educator is a health professional, certified by the National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators (NDBDE). The NCBDE requires that a person applying for certification as a Certified Diabetes Educator fulfill certain eligibility requirements. You must be licensed and registered as a health professional. If using a master’s degree in nutrition, health education or public health as the qualifying education requirement, the degree must have been completed no more than 5 years before the date of application.

Diabetes Educators Exam

Next step is to sign up for the exam. The test is offered twice a year at various locations throughout the country.

The NCBDE offers a sample content outline of topics that the test will cover in its Certification Handbook for Diabetes Educators. Questions will cover such topics as assessment of diabetes care, interventions and development of diabetes care plans, and diabetes-patient-education program development and administration.

The exam consists of 200 multiple-choice questions. And you will have 4 hours to take the exam.

If you pass the exam, the NCBDE will mail you a certificate and wallet card within 3 months. But if you fail the exam, you may elect to retake the test. It’s very important to underline that there are no limits on the number of times you can retake the exam. However, you must resubmit an application and application fee for each retest.

Remember, that you should maintain your certification by retaking the exam or gaining continuing education credits every 5 years.

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