Dobson achieves Certified Diabetes Educator status

Amy Dobson (L) visits with Outreach Coordinator Julia Clark.

The National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE) announced that Amy Dobson, outreach and education manager and nutritional therapist at Harney District Hospital (HDH), has achieved Certified Diabetes Educator® (CDE®) status by successfully completing the Certification Examination for Diabetes Educators. Candidates must meet rigorous eligibility requirements to be able to take the examination. Achieving certification status demonstrates to people with diabetes and employers that the health care professional possesses distinct and specialized knowledge, thereby promoting quality of care for people with diabetes. Currently, there are over 19,500 diabetes educators who hold NCBDE certification.

In order to achieve her CDE® status, Dobson had to obtain higher education degrees in health, show years of professional experience, put in a minimum of a thousand hours of diabetes education, and maintain continuing education hours. Dobson began her professional career with a bachelor’s degree in community health, and went on to earn a master’s in health education and an associate’s degree in dietetics. She has worked at HDH since 2005, starting out in the dietary services department. In 2016, she transitioned to providing full-time nutritional therapy services and managing HDH’s outreach and education department. During her time at HDH, Dobson has launched a variety of health education offerings, including the Stanford Diabetes Self-Management Program, the Diabetes Self-Management and Education support group, the National Diabetes Prevention Program (also known as the “Weigh-In”), and a bariatric surgery support group. She also provides individual counseling on a referral basis.

Dobson said diabetes education is a growing need, both locally and at a national level. She said she hopes her new certification will be helpful in making a positive impact on those who have been newly diagnosed. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 30.3 million people in the United States have diabetes (9.4 percent of the population), and of those, 23.1 million people are diagnosed and 7.2 million people are undiagnosed. Additionally, 84.1 million adults aged 18 years or older have prediabetes (33.9% of the adult US population), a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but have not yet progressed to Type 2 diabetes. A 2010 CDC report projected that one in three Americans will have Type 2 diabetes by 2050 if trends continue.

For more information on diabetes and nutrition education and support at HDH, contact Dobson at 541-573-8318 or talk to your primary care provider. To see a schedule of upcoming classes and groups, go to www.harneydh.com/events.

NCBDE is a national not-for-profit certification organization that is responsible for overseeing the certification program for diabetes educators and awarding the CDE® credential to qualified individuals. The CDE® program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

NCBDE was established in 1986 to develop and administer a certification program for health professionals who teach individuals with diabetes how to self-manage their disease. NCBDE’s mission is to promote comprehensive and ongoing quality diabetes education and support by defining, developing, maintaining, and protecting the certification and credentialing processes. NCBDE supports the concept of voluntary, periodic certification for all diabetes educators who meet credential and experience eligibility requirements. For more information on NCBDE, visit the web site at www.ncbde.org or contact the national office at info@ncbde.org or 847-228-9795.