At the Wake Forest Baptist Health Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, our expertly trained diabetes educators provide patient education in individual sessions or through various classes.

Principles of Patient Diabetes Education

  • The person with diabetes is the center of her/his healthcare team.
  • People with diabetes live multifaceted lives with competing demands that influence their diabetes self-care.
  • People living with diabetes make complex self-care decisions everyday.
  • Family and other support systems strongly influence diabetes self-care.
  • People with diabetes learn ideas and concepts that they perceive as important.
  • Learning occurs when the individuals are engaged.
  • Learning is a process that requires reinforcement and flexibility.

Diabetes Self-Management Education Providers

Because diabetes is with you 24/7, knowing what to do to keep it in control is one of the pillars of care. Our diabetes educators give you the practical tools and knowledge you need to fit diabetes into your life.

At Wake Forest Baptist Health Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, our team of certified diabetes educators consists of registered nurses, registered dietitians and pharmacists.

Diabetes Nurse Educators

Diabetes nurse educators provide excellent patient care, perform health and learning assessments, develop and update your individualized self-management education plan. They will teach you management skills, including:

  • Blood glucose monitoring and how to handle sick days
  • How to treat your diabetes when traveling across time zones
  • How to recognize and treat low or high blood glucose
  • How to begin an intensive diabetes program or use an insulin pump and other new technologies

Registered Dietitians

Registered dietitians are outstanding leaders in the field of nutrition and diabetes care. They are certified diabetes educators who offer individual counseling and group education classes that promote healthful food behaviors and skills at a basic and advanced level. Nutrition educators effectively address the challenges of weight control, modify food choices based on your medical history, and keep you up to date on the latest diabetes and nutrition information based on the best available research.

Diabetes Education Programs and Services

Wake Forest Baptist Diabetes Educators are dedicated to helping adults and children better manage diabetes and prevent complications.

Below is a list of the diabetes education classes we offer. Participation in the classes requires a physician referral.

Diabetes 101

Comprehensive, six-hour program that can be taken in one full-day session or two half-day sessions that is designed for adults who were recently diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. This class covers the causes of diabetes, glucose monitoring, healthy eating, sick days, long-term complications, exercise, travel considerations and goal setting.

Pathway to Pumping

Interactive class designed to introduce the concept of insulin pump therapy. An overview of pump therapy is provided along with insulin pump and infusion set demonstration. Interested family are encourage to attend.

Meal Planning Class

One hour class designed for patients who have completed the comprehensive diabetes program and want more discussion of good nutrition, the effects of foods on blood sugar, and practical carbohydrate counting. The class will plan one day of menus per patient preferences.

GPS (Glucose Problem Solving)

Group class for patients following up for routine maintenance with a focus on glucose problem solving. Patients are asked to bring their blood glucose logs and be willing to discuss their diabetes control concerns in a group setting.

Other services provided by Diabetes Educators include:

  • Individual counseling
  • Medical nutrition therapy
  • Continuous glucose monitoring
  • Insulin pump training and initiation

Other programs that do not require a physician referral:

  • Diabetes support group
  • Diabetes prevention program

Diabetes Management

Sonya Jeffries is a Nurse Practitioner and Certified Diabetes Educator at Wake Forest Baptist Health. She discusses symptoms and signs of diabetes and the differences between type 1 and type 2.