When Judith reached out to us for guidance to achieve her dream of becoming a CDCES, her sincerity and passion for improving diabetes care were immediately evident.
Judith contacted us last winter as she was preparing to take the CDCES exam. Through our phone conversations, her passion for Diabetes Care stood out.; she is inquisitive, enthusiastic, and has a strong desire to provide the best diabetes care possible.
Through our conversations, I got to know Judith very well. She had moved here several years ago from Haiti with a goal to become an RN, and eventually a Diabetes Educator. For Judith, diabetes is very dear to her heart as she has close family members who live with diabetes. She saw firsthand the devastating effects it can have when someone doesn’t receive adequate care.
Judith Paul embodies what it means to be a Diabetes Advocate
Becoming a CDCES is not an easy journey for anyone. A health care professional has to demonstrate 1000 hours of diabetes self-management work experience, earn CE’s, apply online and pay the testing fee of $350. Then there is the grueling four-hour exam, with complicated questions that use precise and nuanced language. Preparing for the exam requires months of dedicated study and preparation.
Making a Difference Scholarship
As I got to know Judith more, I felt should we be a great candidate for our “Making a Difference” Scholarship. We usually only offer this award once a year in the Spring to candidates who are making significant contributions to improving diabetes care in their community, but Judith’s desire and determination won our hearts. We awarded Judith free access to our CDCES Prep Bundle, to support her dream to become a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. Judith fully immersed herself in her studies. Over time, I could hear the changes in her language as she moved towards a more person-centered approach.
After months of dedicated studying, she passed her CDCES Exam this June!
We are so proud of you, Judith, and know that you are going to continue being a fantastic model for your colleagues to provide outstanding care for people living with diabetes!
Judith’s Story in Her Own Words
I am so excited to let Diabetes Education Services know that I recently passed the CDCES exam! I have dreamed of becoming a CDCES since 2017 and my thanks go to coach Beverly and Bryana for helping me make my dream a reality. My passion about diabetes education and those living with the disease drove me, along with my desire to share accurate and compelling information with patients and colleagues to help improve care.
I heard about Diabetes Education Services from a co-worker in December 2021 when I spoke with Bryanna. She was very professional, intelligent, kind, and helpful. She explained the program in detail and answered all of my questions and she provided me with information about the classes, online courses, free resources, App access, and much more. I am beyond grateful for all the support I received from coach Beverly and Bryanna. Coach Beverly made learning so fun and easy to understand. She teaches exactly the way I learn. I always looked forward to attending classes, listening to the webinar, podcast, and taking the quizzes. Her passion, knowledge and love for people living with diabetes are exceptional and she has inspired me even more. I have become more passionate, caring, and knowledgeable and I found myself talking to patients more effectively thanks to her example. Where I used to say “diabetic”, “obesity”, or “blood glucose not in control”, now I use phrases like “people with diabetes”, “participant with excess weight”, “blood glucose above target”, etc.
I found the CDCES exam so EASY because of the coaching program and your teaching style was exactly what I needed to be successful. You provided me with all the tools and resources that I needed. Coach Beverly’s program has the WHOLE package for people like me who need to learn about special situations such as pregnancy or pediatric, and also about diabetes technology. I learned test-taking strategies like choosing the best answers by using a process of elimination. I have attended other diabetes courses in the past, but I had never felt ready for the exam until I attended your program. During the exam I felt ready, confident, calm, and well prepared and I smiled as I heard Coach Beverly’s voice in my head. Coach Beverly not only teaches what you need to know to be successful in the CDCES exam, but also, she teaches how to be an excellent diabetes educator. Throughout the entire program, I felt like I had my own, personal coach and tutor. Beverly and Bryanna always responded to my emails and my last-minute questions in a timely manner.
Again, THANK YOU Coach Beverly, Bryanna, and all of the Diabetes Education Services staff for helping me make my dream a reality. As a person with a strong family history of diabetes, passing the CDCES exam is a HUGE personal accomplishment for me, and I could NOT have earned this certification without the Diabetes Education Services program. I plan to use Diabetes Education Services to obtain my CEUs and to polish my skills.
If someone is considering becoming a CDCES, they should absolutely consider this program. The designations CDCES after my name came from hard work and with help and support from Diabetes Education Services. Thank you, and I highly recommend you.
Judith Paul, BSN, RN, CCM, CDCES
Starting your journey to becoming a CDCES?
Join us live August 10th at 11:30 am PST for our
Preparing for the CDCES Exam FREE Webinar
This course will transform your test anxiety into calm self-confidence and test taking readiness.
Can’t join us live?
Don’t worry, register and we will send you a link to the recorded version.
Webinar Topics
Read More: Preparing for CDCES Exam Webinar TopicsPreparing for the CDCES Exam |
FREE Webinar
What is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist?
Read More: What is a CDCES? First awarded in 1986, as Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) credential and in 2020 with a new name: Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) to more accurately reflect the specialty. CDCES has become a standard of excellence for the delivery of quality diabetes education. Those who hold this certification are known to possess comprehensive knowledge of and experience in diabetes prevention, management, and prediabetes. “Becoming a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) is one of the best professional and personal decisions I have ever made.” – Coach Beverly Thomassian, RN, MPH, CDCES, BC-ADM 
Why become a CDCES?
Three Reasons from Coach Beverly
Read More: 3 Reasons to Become a CDCES “The best part of becoming a CDCES is working with my colleagues and people living with diabetes. As diabetes educators, we hear compelling and beautiful life stories. I am astounded by the barriers they face and inspired by their adaptability, problem-solving skills, and resilience.” Reason 1: CDCES is a widely recognized certification by employers and health care professionals throughout the U.S. This credential demonstrates a specialized and in-depth knowledge in the prevention and treatment of individuals living with pre-diabetes and diabetes. Reason 2: Currently, 10% of people in the U.S. have diabetes and another 35% have pre-diabetes which means 45% of Americans are running around with elevated blood glucose levels. Given this epidemic, there will be plenty of future job opportunities. Reason 3: Having my CDCES along with my nursing degree, has opened many doors of opportunity; from working as an inpatient Diabetes Nurse Specialist in a hospital to working as a Manager of Diabetes Education in the outpatient setting to starting my own consulting company.
Sign up for Diabetes Blog Bytes – we post one daily Blog Byte from Monday to Friday. And of course, Tuesday is our Question of the Week. It’s Informative and FREE! Sign up below!
The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the CDCES exam. CBDCE does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the CDCES exam, except for those published by CBDCE.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/insta-png-v5.png")
