POSITION SUMMARY

The RN Diabetes Educator Lead possesses clinical expertise in care related to diabetes management and other chronic diseases. The RN Diabetes Educator Lead supports, educates, and advocates for people affected by diabetes, addressing the stages of diabetes throughout the lifespan. Also promotes self-management to achieve individualized behavioral and treatment goals that reduce risks and optimize health outcomes while working with multi-disciplinary team.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide outpatient diabetes and self-management training and education to type 1 and type 2, and gestational diabetic patients. Education includes, but is not limited to, signs/symptoms and respective treatments for hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, DKA, and HHNK.
• Guides Case Management staff and provides direction in regards to clinical support to provide highest quality care and services.
• Monitors patient’s healthcare pathway to ensure adherence, removes obstacles and identify progress toward desired care outcomes; intervenes to overcome deviations in the expected plan of care; reviews the care plan with patients in conjunction with the direct care providers; interacts with involved departments to negotiate and expedite scheduling and completion of tests, procedures, and consults.
• Plan, develop, and implement individual and group diabetes education for adults, pediatrics, and their families and caregivers.
• Instruct care management staff/patients in the Standards of Care for diabetes
• Delivers/ Delegates patient education or follow up as needed or as directed by Physician
• Perform assessments and data collections establishes outcome criteria, obtains, reviews, and analyzes information in collaboration with patients, family members, and health care team members.
• Develop collaborate with other departments, services, and community health agencies to facilitate and support quality diabetes care.
• Attend or assign a care team member to outreach activities such as health fairs for diabetes screening and health education
• Train and educate nursing staff in diabetes and health clinic procedures; coordinates in service training, continuing education, and other related diabetes and health clinical training
• Educate and follow patients with diabetes for control of blood sugar, lipids renal function, and prevention of diabetes complications and conduct warm hand off to care management team.
• Maintain professional growth and development through seminars, workshops, and professional affiliations to keep abreast of latest trends in field of expertise.
• Participate in in-service/education regarding Quality Improvement
• Provide patient education related to diabetes and the disease process but not limited to; medication, diet and nutritional monitoring; foot care, prevention and care of complications; blood glucose monitoring and the techniques of self-monitoring and injection.
• Provides leadership through educational activities to bring about changes in clinical practice regarding diabetes care and education.
• Evaluates diabetes education programs on a regular basis and plans and implements improvements based on this evaluation and feedback from key stakeholders
• Monitors and evaluates, as needed, resource utilization, patient outcomes, patient’s skills in self-care, and patient’s ability and readiness to learn.
• Document assessments, interventions and plans including recommendations and goals, progress notes and discharge summaries and engage interdisciplinary teams as needed.
• Assess, monitor and implement treatment plans for patients at various stages of the disease. The focus is on prevention of complications and management of stable diabetes.
• Ensures correct and timely documentation in the patient’s medical record following individual consultation.
• Counsels and educates individual patients appropriately on diabetes care in conjunction with patient’s medical provider (diabetes medications, exercise, diet, sick days, etc.).
• Develops and conducts group presentations and related educational programs, and staff in services, as needed.
• Assists with and manages assigned caseload of patients.
• Perform all other related duties as assigned or requested.