RN Diabetes Educator Department: Clinical Education

Job Summary: The RN Diabetes Educator collaborates with other members of the healthcare team, patients, and families to consult on and facilitate diabetes education within the organization and the community. The RN Diabetes Educator focuses on consultations for patients that have diagnosis of new onset diabetes and/or have complex diabetes management needs. The RN Diabetes Educator makes decisions guided by evidence based best practices, as well as policies, procedures, guidelines and standards.

Responsibilities:

1. Provides individual diabetes care, including patient education using best practices:

a. Performing learning needs assessments, including health literacy, health numeracy, and setting and prioritizing goals.

b. Assessing social determinants of health, disabilities, and cultural preferences that may impact self-management skills and behaviors, decision-making, problem solving, and individual preferences.

c. Evaluating and updating prior diabetes knowledge.

d. Structuring the environment and teaching approach to optimize learning (eg, focused, short sessions)

e. Educating and mentoring other health care professional team members about diabetes self-management education and support.

f. Ensuring teaching resources (eg, printed booklets, electronic health record [EHR] handouts, picture pages, device training kits) are available to all staff providing education and that those team members are coached on their use.

g. Focusing on self-management survival skills, including meal planning; safe medication administration; monitoring glucose and ketones (as appropriate), including targets, frequency, and technique; prevention and treatment of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia; and follow-up care.

h. Documenting and communicating status of self-management education and identified needs to other health care professionals.

i. Evaluating the ability of the patient/family to obtain diabetes supplies and medication (eg, financial resources, health insurance, competing priorities, and access to obtain).

j. Providing referrals to community resources to continue diabetes self-management education and support.

2. Collaborates with providers in individualization of care planning needs for those with diabetes including identification of barriers to care, care coordination and transitions across the care setting, nutrition therapy (within scope of practice) medication therapy and management, hypoglycemia management and prevention, glycemic monitoring, and patient safety.

3. Assists with Orientation, RN Residency and other Education classes as needed.

4. Assists with outpatient educational programs and services related to Diabetes Care and Education.

5. Assists in quality initiatives and performance improvement.

Minimal Requirements:

1. Graduate from an accredited School of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.

2. Current RN licensure from Arizona State Board of Nursing.

3. Current certification as Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) by the Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education or eligibility to be certified within 24 months.

4. Minimum of two (2) or more years related experience. Participation in continuing education programs (a minimum of 24 hours in the past 3 years).

5. Broad knowledge of new trends and techniques in health care.

6. Evidence of knowledge and ability to teach effectively and utilize the principles of adult education/child education.

7. Possesses the ability to relate effectively to patients, their families, physicians, staff and all others using proper channels of communication.

8. Must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. The individual must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age specific needs and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures.