Happy Diabetes Education Week! The American Association of Diabetes Educators asked us to write about why we are diabetes educators. It’s a good question, I think.
Although I’ve shared in the past how my experience at diagnosis originally inspired me to be a nurse (and perhaps a diabetes educator?), I kind of came around to it in an interesting way. I’m sure most diabetes educators would say the same thing! I got my nursing degree through a 3-year RN to MSN program. I had my bachelors in biology and went directly on to get my masters in nursing. My specialty was Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist. As a Ped. CNS I could choose the disease state I would work in and my first job out of school was in a Hematology and Oncology Department. I worked with kids who had blood disorders and cancer.
Despite the fact that I loved working with these kids and their families, some challenges at work drove me to realize that what I truly wanted to be doing was working with kids who have diabetes. It was a 16-year-old with cancer who told me, as I taught her to inject herself with blood cell stimulating medicine by having her inject my insulin, “this would really help kids with diabetes, because they could relate to you.” (She then went on to say that it would really help her if her nurse would take chemotherapy.)
I entered the profession of diabetes education in 1995, and have never looked back. I’ve been fortunate to experience a variety of roles within diabetes education and I have enjoyed them all. I am very excited to be a part of the Teachers College Masters in Diabetes Education and Management program, where we are growing the next generation of diabetes education leaders.
Although I would be happy to change careers should diabetes be eradicated, I must admit I can’t imagine what I would do (ok, yes, I could figure it out). I’m honored to work with people who have diabetes: I learn more from them than I could teach, and the same goes for my students at Teachers College. My job is never boring and always fulfilling. That’s why I’m a diabetes educator.