CDCES Credential

Achieve the Most Recognized Credential in Diabetes Care and Education   
Earning the Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) credential showcases your hard-earned diabetes knowledge and skills and can help you expand your professional opportunities!

What is a CDCES?
A CDCES, formerly known as a Certified Diabetes Educator or CDE, is a health professional who has comprehensive knowledge of and experience in diabetes prevention, prediabetes, and diabetes management. The CDCES credential is held by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), Registered Nurses, PAs, NPs, PharmDs, MDs,  and other health professionals who participate on the diabetes care and education team.

What does a CDCES do?
A CDCES partners with people with diabetes to educate, support, and help them achieve their goals in managing diabetes.

What are the benefits of CDCES Certification?
The CDCES credential is a professionally recognized achievement and a sought-after mark of excellence in the diabetes community!

Obtaining certification will:

• Demonstrate your diabetes care and education skills and expertise
• Expand your career opportunities and increase marketability
• Provide you with credibility and recognition on the diabetes care team, and
• Help optimize outcomes for people with diabetes

Achieving CDCES certification shows people with diabetes, primary care providers, peers, and your employer that you are a dedicated professional with an enduring commitment to continual learning and high-quality patient care.

Earning the CDCES credential
To earn the CDCES credential, health professionals go through a rigorous process, including passing an examination that covers numerous aspects of diabetes care and management. Click here to review the most common CDCES Program FAQs.
 
What are the eligibility requirements?

• Discipline: PAs meet the discipline requirement. Please see the Exam Handbook for additional qualifying disciplines. *
• Professional practice experience (work or volunteer):
  • General: 2 years
  • Diabetes education: 1,000 hours - within a maximum of 5 years (with 200 of those hours in the last 12 months)
• Continuing education (CE) activities: 15 hours of diabetes-related CE within past 2 years
  
  

Interested in becoming a CDCES?

Learn more about the CDCES eligibility requirements.

Download the CDCES informational brochure.  

The Diabetes Link

CBDCE is a proud sponsor and collaborator with The Diabetes Link NextGen Leadership Program and the Resource Hub.

NextGen Fellows:  The NextGen Fellowship Program is a highly-exclusive opportunity for young adults looking to jumpstart their careers in the diabetes sector, offering two tracks; Cohort A: Diabetes Research and Technology and Cohort B: Clinical Care, Education, and Patient Advocacy. Meet the current NextGen Fellows.
Learn more about the fellowship program.

NextGen Mentors: If you are passionate about helping the next generation of leaders in the diabetes community, consider becoming a mentor for the NextGen fellows. The Diabetes Link seeks various experiences, expertise, and positions in the diabetes sector from professors, researchers, software/biomedical engineers, nonprofit professionals and industry advocates. Learn more.

The Resource Hub:  A comprehensive collection of resources designed to provide valuable information, tools, and support to navigate the unique challenges young adults face with diabetes. The resources are packaged in a way for those with diabetes, as well as their caregivers and healthcare professional team, to access and use quickly and easily. Visit the Resource Hub. 

CBDCE Mentorship Program

The CBDCE Mentorship Program was created to promote careers that will lead to a CDCES designation and improve access to much-needed diabetes care and education (DCE).

This optional mentorship program partners experienced CDCESs with health professionals who are interested in gaining experience in providing diabetes care and education. The program helps them accrue experience in order to meet the practice requirement to sit for the CDCES exam.

CDCES Scholarship Program

CBDCE has established a scholarship program to support the journey of health professionals in the specialty and to encourage diversity in the pool of health professionals holding the Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) credential. The scholarship program recipients can take the practice exam and apply for the Certification Examination for Diabetes Care and Education Specialists at no cost (valued at $405). https://www.cbdce.org/scholarships