New Diabetes Course Series Now Available: Three Free CE Courses for Nurses
By Brenda Kozak, MSN, RN, CNE | February 28, 2021
Diabetes by the Numbers
It is important for healthcare personnel to understand diabetes because the number of people affected continues to increase. In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that 422 million people worldwide were living with diabetes2 and 179 million of them were undiagnosed. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 537 million adults live with diabetes today and this number is predicted to rise to 783 million by 2045. Moreover, 6.7 million deaths were attributed to diabetes-related conditions in 2021 alone.3
Medline University Develops New Diabetes Course Series
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the population worldwide and the seventh leading cause of death in the United States1. Because of these staggering numbers, it is likely that nurses in all healthcare settings will encounter and treat a diabetic patient. That is why we designed a brand new course series to give nurses a broad understanding of diabetes and caring for the adult diabetic patient. The series includes three courses that are each worth 1.0 CE for nurses and can be completed in sequence or as standalone courses. Learn more about each course below.
1. Understanding Diabetes for Nurses I: Overview, Diagnosis and Treatment
This course is designed to assist the nurse in reviewing the etiology of diabetes and related risk factors, investigating the complications of diabetes, and considering clinical implications for practice, including treatment options. Upon completion of this course, the nurse will be able to explain the pathophysiology of diabetes, examine the risk factors for developing diabetes, and explore treatment options for the various types of diabetes. To learn more about this course, click here. To take the course, click here.
2. Understanding Diabetes for Nurses II: Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes Complications
This course is designed to give nurses a comprehensive overview of the complications of diabetes. Diabetes affects multiple organ systems throughout the body, and can cause severe morbidity and even mortality if not appropriately treated. The best strategies for both prevention and treatment of diabetes and diabetes-related comorbidities are glucose control and lifestyle changes. Upon completion of this course, the nurse will be able to identify the types of complications caused by diabetes, examine the risk factors for developing diabetes, explore how complications can be prevented or delayed, and discuss treatment options if complications occur. To learn more about this course, click here. To take the course, click here.
3. Understanding Diabetes for Nurses III: Diabetes Management, Nutrition and Patient Education
This course is designed to assist the nurse in investigating the complications of diabetes including the signs and symptoms of hypo and hyperglycemia along with considering clinical implications for practice with treatment options. This course also will explore diet plans for the diabetic patient, considerations for discharge planning and educational support for patients and their families. Upon completion of this course, the nurse will be able to understand the signs and symptoms of hypo/hyperglycemia and its treatment options, evaluate the Point-of-Care procedure for obtaining a blood glucose level, identify normal versus critical values, develop a diet plan for the diabetic patient, teach patients about when to check blood glucose levels, evaluate discharge planning goals and examine educational support given to patients and their families To learn more about this course, click here. To take the course, click here.
- American Diabetes Association. (2021). Statistics about diabetes. https://www.diabetes.org/resources/statistics/statistics-about-diabetes
- World Health Organization. (2021). Diabetes. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes
- International Diabetes Federation. (2021). IDF Diabetes Atlas (10th ed.). https://diabetesatlas.org/
About the author:
Brenda Kozak, MSN, RN, CNE has over 18 years of clinical nursing experience in a variety of healthcare settings. She has a Master’s degree in nursing with a focus on education, and has teaching experience in clinical and academic settings. Brenda currently is a certified nurse educator pursuing her doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) from the Northern Illinois University.