Skip to main content

A Day in the Life of a Diabetes Nurse



As a diabetes nurse, you have an individual responsibility to take care of those who have this disease. The care you provide is specialized to ensure that your patients have everything they need. The daily activities that you have to complete are slightly different than the average nurse.

Diabetes nurses work across the spectrum of care for diabetes patients, whether they are in primary care or in hospitals. There is care planning that nurses go over with diabetics and their families or carers. Also, the development of personal management strategies helps to promote self-management and identify goals.
Diabetes nurses provide guidance and support to their colleagues for larger healthcare teams. The unique role of a diabetes specialist nurse is versatile and challenging. Their presence is vital to the treatment of diabetes. 

With the additional assistance and knowledge, diabetes patients can receive better and more specialized care. The personalized treatment of patients is always appreciated and will be remembered even by the family members of the patients.
Differences Between Practice Nurse and Diabetes Specialist Nurses

     Practice Nurses

o     10-minute appointments
o     Diabetes education
o     Yearly reviews of patient progress
o     Medication advising

     Diabetes Specialist Nurses

o     30-minute appointments
o     Diabetes education and management
o     Supporting patients, their carers, and multidisciplinary team
o     Manage complex cases that require more attention and specialized care
o     Take referrals for emergencies

The daily life of a diabetes nurse is relatively straightforward. You either work at your office or make house calls to those who need them. Here is a rundown of the daily activities that might be involved with being a diabetes nurse.

     Typically, a day lasts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but hours can vary widely. If there is an emergency, a diabetes nurse may have different roles. They can treat about 50 patients in person and over the phone, resulting in up to 100 patients a day.

     Clinic Work

o     See patients every 30 minutes to talk about their individual needs
      Medication management
      Insulin advising according to food eaten
     Insulin is dosed according to how many carbs and what kinds of food is being consumed regularly.

o     Emergencies
      Manage telephone calls, telephone clinics, assess walk-ins, emergency referrals, and help doctors by being the first contact that any query is met with. 

     Home Visits

o     During home visits, a diabetes nurse will go to patients at their homes to assess their condition and treat them accordingly. After putting a diabetes plan in place with their carers and general practitioner, they are available for more guidance and even end of life care.

Related: The International Nurses Association Launches Nurse Advisor Magazine’s New Online Forum


Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest, Twitter


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

As a Nursing Student, what Extracurricular Activities are Beneficial?

We already had our time to treat the immense demanding curricula a nursing school provides. Nursing students are often familiarized with it at the very beginning of their journey. Information usually being provided is strictly covering what the school curricula involve. It does not provide hints on possible courses or extracurricular activities a nurse-to-be has to follow in order to get the most of his/her studying years. A nursing student might consider going for a nurse related extracurricular activity that will be efficient in terms of time management. What might count as a productive extracurricular activity for a nursing student? o      Initiating one or more community service projects o      Job shadowing o      Volunteer   Why should one consider these extracurricular activities once he or she is studying to become a nurse? Well, first of all, nursing requires a lot of good will and dedication. It is that kind of profession you need to put all your physic

Where do Registered Nurses Work?

Registered nurses are needed far and wide, and there dispersal amongst various facilities is illuminating.   Commonly, you associate nurses with hospitals, but their expertise is needed in a plethora of environments.   An overwhelming amount of nurses, (60% to be exact) operate in hospitals.   Comparing this percentage to the mere 5% working in nursing homes, RN’s have disseminated into non-governmental and EDU positions, as well as employment facilities and doctor’s offices.    Related : 2016 INTERNATIONAL NURSES ASSOCIATION (INA) SCHOLARSHIP AWARD Visit www.nurseadvisormagazine.com for more information on nursing. R elated : Top Nurse with the International Nurses Association, Steven Eric Southerland, RN, BSN, AAS, EMT-P to Publish in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare Please follow us on Facebook , Linkedin , Pinterest , Twitter

Positive and Negative of Dental Implants

Dental implants are very popular today. They are the preferred choice by many when natural teeth are missing.   Commercials make dental implants sound very simple, and as if they always work, but everyone should know the facts prior to considering implants. As a nurse, you may encounter a patient who is interested in dental implants, whether it is because of an accident or for cosmetic reasons. The Positive of Dental Implants Dental implants can, and often do work out well for someone missing teeth.   They look natural, and unlike dentures, they are permanent, and do not have to be removed nightly.    Dentures can fit improperly at times, and that is not an issue with implants.   There are some great advantages to dental implants. Related: What is Epilepsy? What are the Symptoms of Epilepsy? The Negative of Dental Implants First of all, there is really no guarantee that the implant will take, many people are, told there is a 50/50 chance.   That is a pretty costly chan