| Ewing
renews diabetes certification
Becky Ewing, RN, Certified Diabetes Educator, St. Mary’s Hospital and Clinics, first gained her certification as a CDE in 2003. To be recertified every five years a candidate must complete 75 hours of education and training. Ewing recently completed her recertification through the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators. According to NCBDE, there are approximately 16,000 diabetes educators with this certification. 
“Recertification is important because it ensures that diabetes educators are continually updating their knowledge. There are always so many changes in what we understand about this disease,” said Ewing. “There are new medications, new insulins and new types of pumps. Ten years ago there were two types of pumps and now there are eight.” Ewing is also a certified pump trainer with Medtronics, a company that designs and makes equipment for people with diabetes. She conducts regular educational sessions for the public on diabetes related issues in Cottonwood and Kamiah. For the past two years, Ewing has volunteered at Camp Stix, a diabetes camp in Spokane. She also counsels patients in individual sessions and is the facilitator for a monthly diabetes educational support group in Kamiah. They meet the third Wednesday of every month from 1:00-3:00 at the Kamiah Bible Church, 10th and Main. “I’m proud of my certification from NCBDE. I originally became interested in diabetes for personal reasons. It is an exciting field full of challenges. We know so much now, but the key still continues to be educating people and motivating them to manage the disease, using all we know,” said Ewing. NCBDE was established in 1986 in Arlington Heights, Illinois. According to their website, they are the entity responsible for credentialing diabetes educators. “The credentialing mechanism validates knowledge in diabetes education and provides recognition of excellence in practice. Certification sets the industry standard.” |
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