Diabetic Certification
- To become an NCBDE-certified CDE, you must currently work in one of several specific medical fields or have a qualifying master's degree from a U.S. college or university. All of your experience in your field must have occurred within the U.S., and you must have at least two years of experience within the last four years. You must have accrued 1,000 hours in diabetes self-management education within the last four years, 400 hours of which must have occurred within the last year.
- The certification examination for diabetes educators scores on a scale of 0 to 99, with 70 or higher counting as a passing score. Three months after passing the certification exam, the NCBDE sends you a wallet card and a complimentary certificate. NCBDE certification lasts five years, at which time a certification exam is required to renew your diabetes educator certification. After receiving written notification from the NCBDE that you passed the certification exam, you may begin to use "CDE" after your name.
- As of July 2010, the fee for the NCBDE certification examination for diabetes educators costs $350 for an initial or lapsed CDE certification and $250 for a renewal CDE certification exam. The diabetes educator certification exam is given twice a year, in the spring and the fall, at multiple applied measurement professional testing locations across the country.