I am 33 years old, have had type 1 diabetes for 27 years, and I am a volunteer diabetes educator in a public hospital. I would like to know more about how to teach children with diabetes to take care of themselves. There isn’t any kind of diabetes educator course in my country. Can you help me to find a diabetes educator course, even if in another country, and how can I obtain additional information about it?

As far as I know, the Certified Diabetes Educator exam is only for folks in the US, but I can give you the number so you can see if they have other ideas. It is: 847.228.9795 or the fax number is: 847.228.8469. There are many education courses in the US, and I would think there also are some available in Rio, so maybe you contact a local hospital or clinic and ask them when the next course is being held. I looked in the American Diabetes Association directory and there are many health professionals listed for Brazil, and I assume most are in Rio.

LSF

[Editor’s comment: You don’t say whether or not you are a health professional which would make a difference in what is available to you. As Lois has said, there are lots of courses in the US. The CDE exam is for health professionals. The American Association of Diabetes Educators publishes a core curriculum and a post-test which you might find helpful.

SS]