How to Work for the Government as a Diabetes Educator
Diabetes has become an epidemic in the United States. According to the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, almost 26 million Americans suffer from diabetes, and almost two million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed every year.  Diabetes can be treated with various medications, and more importantly, can be prevented or delayed with lifestyle changes. A professional who is able to facilitate such changes is a diabetes educator. Diabetes educators are medical professionals who work directly with the public and teach diabetes prevention and treatment. Most diabetes educators are nurses, doctors or dietitians who decided on public service careers.
Initiate the process of becoming a diabetes educator by completing a bachelor's degree program in nursing or nutrition. Possessing a bachelor's degree emphasizing training as a nurse or a dietitian is the usual educational qualification. A significant number of diabetes educators in management roles earn a master's degree in public health or are MDs. [2,3]
Work as a nurse or a dietitian for a few years to gain professional experience and learn about the latest diabetes management practices and therapies. Very few people start working as diabetes educators right out of school. Employers, including government agencies, typically hire experienced health care professionals as diabetes educators. Consider completing a Level 2 or Level 3 American Association of Diabetes Educators Career Path Certificate Program after you meet the professional experience requirements. 
Government Agencies Hiring Diabetes Educators
Diabetes educators are hired by various local, state and federal public health agencies. Start your job search within your city and county health departments, and if they aren't currently hiring diabetes educators, apply to your state or other state health departments. Some local school districts and several federal agencies also employ diabetes educators and related positions. [3,4]
Diabetes Educator Duties
The specific duties of a diabetes educator vary significantly by employer. Most diabetes educators either train nurses and other health care professionals in patient education or work directly with patients or the general public. Those employed by state or federal agencies are frequently involved in preventing diabetes through education about healthy lifestyles as well as training other health care professionals. Diabetes educators often focus on diabetes self-care, including healthy eating, regular exercise and taking medications as prescribed, and also teach patients how to solve problems and reduce risks. [2,3,4]
Clayton Browne has been writing professionally since 1994. He has written and edited everything from science fiction to semiconductor patents to dissertations in linguistics, having worked for Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Steck-Vaughn and The Psychological Corp. Browne has a Master of Science in linguistic anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.