Free Resource Friday | Preparing for the CDCES or BC-ADM? Free Webinars!
Free Upcoming Webinars with Coach Beverly Thomassian
FREE Preparing for the BCADM Exam – What you need to know | January 30th, 2019 @ 11:30 am – 12:40 pm PST
Becoming BC-ADM is a great achievement for diabetes educators with an advanced degree in their field and a professional license as an advanced practice nurse, registered dietitian, or registered pharmacist. The scope of advanced diabetes practice includes patient management skills such as medication adjustment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise planning, counseling for behavior management and psycho-social issues.
Attaining optimal metabolic control in the diabetic client may include treatment and monitoring of acute and chronic complications. This webinar will review changes in requirements for 2018, exam eligibility and test format, strategies to succeed along with a review of study tips and test taking tactics. We will review sample test questions, and the reasoning behind choosing the right answers. We hope you can join us for this webinar. Click here for a bunch of free resources, a reading list and to register for FREE Webinar.

FREE Preparing for the CDCES Exam Webinar | February 1st @ 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. PST
Join us to get ready to succeed a the CDCES Exam. This course will transform your test anxiety into calm self-confidence and test taking readiness.
Topics covered include:
- Changes in requirements for 2019
- Exam eligibility and test format
- Strategies to succeed
- Review of study tips and test taking tactics.
We will review sample test questions, and the reasoning behind choosing the right answers.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
See our Preparing for CDCES Resource Page >>

Our Diabetes Detective Team scans the diabetes news to discover the most relevant info that Diabetes Educators need in their daily practice. 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!
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How accurate are Glucose Meters?
It is assumed that glucose meters are accurate if they are FDA cleared, but often that is not the case.
The FDA is currently reviewing and updating the guidelines for glucose meter accuracy. The 2016 rules called for +/- 20% accuracy for most blood sugar ranges.
Many diabetes advocacy groups appealed to the FDA to demand better accuracy since treatment decisions are based on these readings and can dramatically impact outcomes.
A research study by The Diabetes Technology Society Blood Glucose System Surveillance Program, found that in a recent analysis, only 6 of the top 18 glucose meters met the accuracy standards.
They demonstrated this lack of consistent and accurate readings through extensive testing of the top meters at different sites (see partial chart below, click on chart for full table).
The new 2019 FDA drafted rules for personal use glucose meters will require:
- 95% within +/- 15% across the measuring range
- 99% within +/- 20% across the measuring range
This data and chart created by the Diabetes Technology Society outlines the accuracy of the most common meters. This published information will hopefully result in more accurate meters and better insurance coverage for meters that meet the standards. This information is also critical to share with our diabetes participants and colleagues. Click here or on chart for full display

Want more information?

Join us| Standards of Care 2020 Webinar airs Jan 21, 2020 | 1.5 CEs for $29
This 100 minute course is an essential review for anyone in the field of diabetes. We summarize the 2020 updates to the American Diabetes Association’s Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes and provide critical teaching points and content for health care professionals involved in diabetes care and education.
Earn 1.5 CEs and get ready to lead the charge to implement best care practices for the New Year.
Coach Beverly carefully reviewed the 2020 ADA Standards with special attention to critical additions and updates.
Topics Include:
- A review of changes and updates to the 2020 ADA Standards of Medical Care
- Identification of key elements of the position statement
- Discussion of how diabetes educators can apply this information in their clinical setting
This course is included in: Level 1 – Diabetes Fundamentals. Purchase this course individually for $29 or the entire bundle and save 65%.
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!
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“How endurance exercise affects your gut bacteria”
New studies continue to link physical exercise to the diversity in gut bacteria. One of the most powerful discoveries is that exercise alone has the ability to change your gut microbiome. A new study at the Institute of Biomedicine at the University of Turku in Finland, examines the correlation between endurance exercise and bacteria.
Researchers found that exercise can boost the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). This bacteria helps with inflammation and keeping your get healthy.
The study enrolled 17 women who lived sedentary lifestyles, but were other wise healthy, into a 6-week program of bicycle endurance training. They did not change anything about their diet during this program.
“Overall, at the end of the program, the researchers found a decrease in so-called proteobacteria — that is, gut bacteria that have the potential of causing inflammation — and an increase in beneficial bacteria called Akkermansia, which have links with a better metabolism.”
Previous studies have found the bacteria Akkermansia was more commonly found in people who are physically active and may even protect individuals from diabetes and obesity.
The exercise also had an effect on cardio metabolic health. “We found that phospholipids and cholesterol in VLDL [very low-density lipoprotein] particles decreased in response to exercise. These changes are beneficial for cardiometabolic health,” Pekkala explains, “because VLDL transports lipids from the liver to peripheral tissues, converts into ‘bad’ LDL [low-density lipoprotein] cholesterol in the circulation, and thus has detrimental cardiovascular effects.”
The scientists believe that if the training program continued, they would have seen greater effects on the participants gut bacteria and overall health.
To learn more: “How endurance exercise affects your gut bacteria” – MedicalNewsToday
For more information, Join our Level 4 – New Horizons – Getting to the Gut 1.0 CE
Join us to learn about the exciting advances in our understanding of the pathology of diabetes and novel approaches to prevention. We will discuss trends in diabetes diagnosis and classification. The role and importance of gut bacteria in the pathology of type 1 and type 2 will explored. A detailed discussion on emerging research and clinical trial on interventions to delay or prevent diabetes is also included.

Our Diabetes Detective Team scans the diabetes news to discover the most relevant info that Diabetes Educators need in their daily practice. 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!
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Question of the Week – January 22nd, 2019

According to the National Credentialing Board for Diabetes Educators, (NCBDE) the CDCES® Exam Content Outline will be updated starting July 1st, 2019.
To celebrate this update, we will be basing our 2019 Questions of the Week on this content outline. (See a snippet of the NCBDE content outline to the left or click on it to see the complete outline.)
These targeted questions are designed to help assess your knowledge on the topics critical to diabetes educators.
In addition, if you are preparing to take the exam, we strongly encourage you to go through each of these sub-categories and rate your knowledge on a scale of 1-5. Based on this self-assessment, spend the majority of your study time on the topic areas you are least comfortable with. This approach will help you become familiar with the exam content and to use your limited study time wisely.
Assessment of the Diabetes Continuum – Learning
For this question in this series, we focus on the Assessment Section, under learning. Here is the question that addresses learning goals and needs of the learner. Good luck!
To learn more about exam success, please join us live or watch now Free Preparing for CDCES® Webinar airing on Feb 1, 2019.
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!
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Free Resource Friday | Preparing for the BC-ADM Webinar – January 30th!
Preparing for the BCADM Exam – What you need to know
January 30 @ 11:30 am – 12:40 pm

January 30th, 2019 – 11:30 a.m. – 12:40 p.m.
Preparing for the BC-ADM Exam – What you need to know
Join us for this live webinar
Becoming BC-ADM is a great achievement for diabetes educators with an advanced degree in their field and a professional license as an advanced practice nurse, registered dietitian, or registered pharmacist. The scope of advanced diabetes practice includes patient management skills such as medication adjustment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise planning, counseling for behavior management and psychosocial issues.
Attaining optimal metabolic control in the diabetic client may include treatment and monitoring of acute and chronic complications. This webinar will review changes in requirements for 2018, exam eligibility and test format, strategies to succeed along with a review of study tips and test taking tactics. We will review sample test questions, and the reasoning behind choosing the right answers. We hope you can join us for this webinar. Click here for a bunch of free resources, a reading list and to register for FREE Webinar.

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!
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Question of the Week – January 15th, 2019
NEW! Question of the Week will now reflect the 2019 CDCES®* Exam Content Outline
According to the National Credentialing Board for Diabetes Educators, (NCBDE) the CDCES® Exam Content Outline will be updated starting July 1st, 2019.
To celebrate this update, we will be basing our 2019 Questions of the Week on this content outline. (See a snippet of the NCBDE content outline to the left or click on it to see the complete outline.)
These targeted questions are designed to help assess your knowledge on the topics critical to diabetes educators.
In addition, if you are preparing to take the exam, we strongly encourage you to go through each of these sub-categories and rate your knowledge on a scale of 1-5. Based on this self-assessment, spend the majority of your study time on the topic areas you are least comfortable with. This approach will help you become familiar with the exam content and to use your limited study time wisely.
Assessment of the Diabetes Continuum – Learning
For this first question in this series, we start in the Assessment Section, under learning. Here is the question that addresses learning goals and needs of the learner. Good luck!
ML has a 6-year-old daughter with newly diagnosed type 1. ML wants to learn what to do in case her daughter gets the flu and is vomiting. What is the diabetes educator’s best response?
a. It sounds like you are worried about what to do if your daughter gets sick.
b. Let’s start with the basics of meal planning first.
c. Getting the flu can be scary. Have you been tracking ML’s blood sugars?
d. Here is a handout that reviews sick day management in detail.
To learn more about exam success, please join us live or watch now Free Preparing for CDCES® Webinar airing on Feb 1, 2019.
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!
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Mindful Monday | Exercise Habits That Stick
It’s that time of year where people are flooding into gyms to start working on their new years resolutions. However, researchers have found that most people tend to give up on their resolutions by February. How can you bridge the divide between intention and doing?
Here are some tips to help turn 2019 resolutions into long-lasting habits and to get past the February funk:
- Give it time. It takes a while for something new to become habitual. A study conducted at Wharton School paid a group of individuals to exercise for a period of 28 days. They found that most of these people stuck with these habits after the study was over. Milkman, the head researcher on the study, states, “The key to habit is repetition. If you can get that repetition going while you have high motivation, you are much more likely to have a behavior change that lasts.”
- Set realistic goals. Make sure that the goals you set are small, incremental, and achievable. Many individuals tend to set unrealistic goals and then give up on the whole thing when they are unable to achieve them.
- Make physical activity social. Tackling fitness goals with another individual tends to increase productivity as well as longevity. So grab a friend and work on your goals together!
- Change the mindset. Many people start their fitness journey with only one goal: weight loss. While it is okay to have a goal like this, don’t let it be the driving force. Instead, choose performance based goals. For example, try to improve on your mile time, squat more weight than you did last time, or try to finally be able to do the splits. With these kinds of goals, the aesthetics will still be achieved but your attitude and love towards working out will drastically change.
For more information on this topic, check out the article “How to make exercise a habit that sticks.”
Contributed by: Sofia Sepulveda
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!
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Free Resource Friday | Making a Difference Scholarship
Making a Difference Scholarship | Diabetes Educator Course
The scholarship recipient is awarded FREE registration to our next Diabetes Educator Course in Sacramento, CA!
Learn more about our course: Sacramento Diabetes Educator Course – April 10th – 12th, 2019 | Earn 32 CEs
The goal of this scholarship is three-fold:
- To recognize health care professionals who are making a difference in their community.
- To support applicants’ effort to become a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist®* (CDCES®*).
- To provide financial assistance with the Diabetes Educator Course registration fee.
If you are passionate about diabetes education, actively involved in advocating for diabetes care and ready to attend our comprehensive Diabetes Educator Course, you are invited to apply for a complimentary course registration scholarship.
Please download and complete the application below:
Scholarship Application | Sacramento, CA 2019 – word format
Scholarship Application | Sacramento, CA 2019 – pdf. format
Scholarship Application – Due February 10th, 2019 for Diabetes Educator Course in Sacramento, CA.
Our Diabetes Detective Team scans the diabetes news to discover the most relevant info that Diabetes Educators need in their daily practice. 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!
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