People with diabetes are living longer, healthier lives and as the landscape of therapies and treatments changes, Certified Diabetes Educators at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Leadership Sinai Centre for Diabetes (LSCD) keep pace with the latest to help their patients, and their fellow clinicians.
“The diabetes environment has changed dramatically in terms of medications, technologies and therapies,” says Christine Opsteen, nurse practitioner at LSCD. “We gain knowledge and experience, which improves care for our patients and gives them the most options to best meet their own needs. We keep fellow diabetes educators informed which has a positive impact on patient care in the community.”
The team of nurses, dietitians and nurse practitioners offer innovative education programs to support diabetes health care professionals. Their work has been recognized by Magnet™, the international credentialing gold standard for nursing excellence, and by Diabetes Canada’s Standards Recognition Program for Diabetes Education.
“We’re proud to work in a leading diabetes research centre. Many of our endocrinologists at the LSCD are leaders in world of diabetes research and we have access to the latest research,” says Christine.
LSCD delivers expert, specialized care to 20,000 patients for the treatment and management of type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. It’s recognized as a leader in diabetes care, research and education.
“We provide evidence and guideline-based knowledge to ensure standards of practice to our peers,” says Barbara Cleave, clinical nurse specialist at LSCD.
The team translates knowledge into practice and offers a variety of workshops, practicums and webinars. This includes the Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) Prep Program, to support those preparing to write the Canadian National Certified Diabetes Educator exam. The team has specialized expertise in this area having co-authored The Essentials [Diabetes Education] Manual, which is used as a reference for the CDE Exam in Canada.