My Pathway to Becoming a CDCES
Jun 11, 2025, 10:13 AM
By Melanie Teslik, MS, RN, BC-ADM, CDCES, CPHQ
I was recently asked to share my journey in becoming a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). I started my professional life as a home care nurse in New York City. It was a wonderful adventure; I worked in downtown Manhattan and was able to experience and learn about multiple cultures. My client’s beliefs and trust in health care varied. One common thread was how many of them had diabetes along with other comorbidities.
I continued my career ladder in home care, serving as both a Director of Education and later Director of Education and Quality Improvement, but I found I missed interacting with the clients and decided to do per diem on the weekend in home care. Often, my clients were in adult homes where they would share a room and come down for meals. Many of these clients had psych diagnoses and/or diabetes. They would come to the “nurses office” for their insulin and education.
One of my favorite stories is about a client who was on a large dose of insulin, and I was always fearful she would go low. Extensive, sometimes repetitive education would occur on diet and medications. We practiced S/S hypoglycemia and intervention. I gave her a picture handout to help. One day I came to work, and they told me my client had a low BG. Reportedly, she treated herself. When I saw her and checked her glucose it was 394mg/dL. She was also holding a tin box. When I asked her how she treated the low, she opened the box which was filled with sugar packets and told me she had 10 of them. I was pleased to realize my education was retained even though she over treated.
It wasn’t until I was entrenched in management and seeing clients with diabetes on weekends that I first heard of a CDCES. I joined ADCES and would gleam their education material and programs. It was putting a toe in the water before making any decisions. I do not have diabetes but love to empower people with education to guide them along their journey.
After years of dreaming about becoming a CDCES, I took a four-day class. Half the students needed continuing education credits to recertify, and the other half were hoping to take the certification test. I found it helpful to network with everyone.
Next step was volunteering with a Type 1 diabetes children’s group who met monthly and learned about diabetes through play. Their parents were in the next room in a support group. It was through this connection that I was hired as a diabetes care and education specialist (at the time referred to as a diabetes educator) and could plan to take my certification test.
Sixteen years later, my only regret is not having followed my interest earlier. I have embraced my commitment to diabetes care and try to participate on a local, state and national level with ADCES. The ADCES website has so much information that can be shared with clients or peers. I also love danatech, which I use when a patient is deciding on a pump.
My journey has allowed me to meet so many people professionally who want the best for all clients with diabetes. I have also made lifelong friends who share my love for diabetes care and education. Most importantly, the clients I have met through the years have made my job so special.