Preparing Australian diabetes educators for practice: workforce perceptions of the credentialling pathway

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Diabetes Care and Education
• Professional Credentialing

Background:

• The Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE) credential signifies quality diabetes care in Australia.
• A review of the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA) CDE pathway was conducted to ensure credential quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the perceptions of the diabetes education workforce regarding the current CDE education and qualification pathway.
• To identify areas for improvement in preparing diabetes educators for practice.

Main Methods:

• A 34-item online survey was distributed to stakeholders including CDEs, students, supervisors, and course coordinators.
• 319 responses were analyzed, with the majority from CDEs (80%) and CDEs in training (15%).

Main Results:

• 46% of participants felt graduate certificate alumni were unprepared for the diabetes educator role pre-credentialling.
• 71% recommended increased and varied clinical experiences within the graduate certificate course.
• 54% found the subsequent credentialling pathway too onerous, advocating for a more streamlined process.

Conclusions:

• The current CDE pathway requires enhancement, including more robust education and skills-based training beyond the graduate certificate.
• Formal assessment of clinical competence is recommended to better equip diabetes educators for their roles.
• Streamlining the credentialling process while ensuring comprehensive preparation is crucial for quality diabetes education.