You have passed the CDCES Exam (yay)! Now five years have flown by, you are up for renewal. How do you maintain this hard-earned certification?

This year, the CBDCE published new rules to renew certification which you might have missed. To make sure there are no surprises during your renewal process, here are key considerations from the CBDCE Website that we hope you find helpful!

2025 CDCES Renewal Updates

To promote quality and inclusive diabetes care and education, the CBDCE Board changed the continuing education (CE) content requirements. Certificants will still need to complete 75 CE units over a five year period. However, to make sure CDCES’s stay abreast of the latest standards and promote inclusive care, the Board is now requiring participation in CE courses that provide updates on the ADA Standards of Care at least twice during the individual’s renewal cycle.

This means that starting in 2023, certificants will need to start acquiring these more specific CEs in preparation for 2025 renewal.

1. Required CE Activities now include ADA Standards Update

According to the CBDCE, to successfully renew their CDCES, applicants must participate in CE activities that are focused on the American Diabetes Association’s Standards of Care for Diabetes* two separate times during your renewal cycle.

2. In addition, the following CE Activities are encouraged:

If you are renewing your CDCES in 2025 or later by completing 75 CE units over the five-year period, the CBDCE requires that you demonstrate completion of the following type of CE Activities (you can immediately start accumulating these needed CEs). The CBDCE encourages the following CE activities at least once during your renewal cycle:

• education principals/teaching strategies
• diabetes-related technology;
• leadership/strategy (e.g., CQI, change agent, program development);
• population health; or
• diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (e.g., social determinants of health, cultural competency).

Diabetes Education Services Online University is Here to Help

*Since Diabetes Education Services is Accredited by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), all of our courses can be applied toward your CDCES Renewal.

Our content incorporates the ADA Standards and Content Requirement
Our Level 2 ADA Standards of Care series, CDCES Basic Prep Bundle, and our new “Everything” Bundle are perfect options for those working toward CDCES renewal requirement. Plus, we update our entire library of content yearly to reflect the latest ADA Guidelines.

In addition, our DiabetesEd Training Programs cover the ADA Standards of Care with clarity and intention by a trio of experts, including Diana Issacs, PharmD, BC-ADM, CDCES, and FADCES a contributing author to the ADA Standards.

Plus, all of our content incorporates education principles and teaching strategies, with a special emphasis on population health, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

We are here to help you succeed. Whether you are starting your journey or working toward recertification, our Standards of Care Intensive, CDCES Basic Prep Bundle, and our new “Everything” Bundle or DiabetesEd Training Conferences are perfect options to meet your goals.

For more information, visit CBDCE Renewal Webpage and/or the current Renewal Handbook for details on the requirements.

Is it Worth all this Work? – YES!

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Achieving my CDCES is one of the best and most meaningful investments in professional career! ~ Coach Beverly

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For CDCES Recertification, there are three paths you can take.

Path 1. Renew through earning CEs
Path 2. Renew by taking the Exam
Path 3. Renew by taking the Exam and earning CEs

For Paths 1 and 2 you need to:

1. Accrue 1,000 hours of professional practice experience during the 5-year cycle
2. Continue to hold the license or registration (e.g. RN, RD, MD, PA, etc.) for the same discipline held at the time of initial certification. This license or registration must be current, active, and unrestricted at the time of renewal.
3. Renew by taking an Exam or earning 75 CE’s (see details below)

Path 3, this option is for those not able to meet the 1000-hour practice experience requirement, but applicants must:

1. Continue to hold a license ( (e.g. RN, RD, MD, PA, etc.)
2. Take the CDCES Exam
3. Earn 75 CE’s (see details below)

Cost and Time Frame

The cost to renew your CDCES Certification is well worth the $250 dollars ($50 per year). This certification is widely recognized and respected by people with diabetes, healthcare professionals, and employers alike.

Time Frame: Certification is valid for a five-year time frame with an expiration date that ends on December 31st of the last year of the certification cycle.

• Example: Coach Beverly last renewed her CDCES in March of 2017. She will need to renew her certification (by exam or CEs) by December 31st of 2022.

As many of you know, I choose to take the exam every 5 years to renew my CDCES. But, most people choose to renew through CEs. See the information below.

How do you Earn the 75 CEs required for Path 1 & 3?

When renewing by Renewal Pathway 1 and 3, you will need to earn a minimum of 75 CE hours during your accrual cycle. You can do this by only accruing 75 CE hours under the “Formal Activities” or you can mix and match with “Formal” and “Expanded Activities.”

Formal activities include:

• Continuing education courses
• Independent study
• Seminars
• Online programs
• Workshops
• Telephonic or video conference programs
• Conferences

Expanded activities include:

• Academic courses
• Presentations or lectures led by the certificant
• Publications – articles or books written by the certificant
• Service as a Mentor in CBDCES’s Mentorship Program

If you are using “Expanded Activities,” there are limits on each “Expanded Activity,” and the maximum hours you can claim during your accrual cycle is 30 CE hours from the “Expanded Activities” Category.

Feel free to mix and match from both the “Formal” and “Expanded” categories as long as at least 45 hours of CE activities fall under the “Formal” category. 

Formal Category CE Requirements

The Activities in the “Formal” Category must meet identified requirements. All of the 75 CE hours can be accrued under the “Formal” category.

Continuing Education Hour Defined: – All continuing education activities must be reported in clock hours. One clock hour equals 60 minutes.

For the “Formal” category of continuing education, activities must be:

• Provided by or approved by a provider on the CBDCE List of Recognized Providers.
  • *Since Diabetes Education Services is Accredited by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), all of our courses can be applied toward your CDCES Renewal.
• Applicable to diabetes. All subject matter on the Certification Exam Content Outline is considered applicable.
• Completed before the application deadline and before submitting the application, or by December 15 if using the Grace Period.
• At a professional level that enhances the quality and effectiveness of the practice of diabetes care and education.

For more details on the qualifying activities, review Guidelines for Reporting Continuing Education Activities and the Renewal Handbook.

Of course, for any additional questions or special situations, we recommend you visit the CBDCE Website or check out the links toward the end of the article.

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Accreditation: Diabetes Education Services is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider 12640, and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), Provider DI002. Since these programs are approved by the CDR it satisfies the CE requirements for the CDCES regardless of your profession.*

The use of DES products does not guarantee the successful passage of the diabetes certification exams. CBDCE & ADCES does not endorse any preparatory or review materials for the certification exams, except for those published by CBDCE & ADCES.

**To satisfy the requirement for renewal of certification by continuing education for the Certification Board for Diabetes Care & Education (CBDCE), continuing education activities must be applicable to diabetes and approved by a provider on the CBDCE List of Recognized Providers (www.ncbde.org). CBDCE does not approve continuing education.

Diabetes Education Services is accredited/approved by the Commission of Dietetic Registration which is on the list of CBDCE Recognized Providers.