Obtaining certification will:
- Demonstrate your diabetes care and education skills and expertise
- Expand your career opportunities and increase marketability
- Provide you with credibility and recognition on the diabetes care team, and
- Help optimize outcomes for people with diabetes
Achieving CDCES certification shows people with diabetes, primary care providers, peers, and your employer that you are a dedicated professional with an enduring commitment to continual learning and high-quality patient care.
“The CDCES credential has been one of the best decisions of my career! Since 1982 with my experience in acute, outpatient and eating disorder treatment clinics, knowledge of diabetes management has been highly enhanced by maintaining my certification and diabetes care skills.” - Janice Baker, MBA, RDN, CDCES, CNSC, BC-ADM
Earning the credential
To earn the CDCES credential, health professionals go through a rigorous process, including passing an examination that covers numerous aspects of diabetes care and management. Click here to review the most common CDCES Program FAQs.
What are the eligibility requirements?
- Discipline: RDNs and RDs meet the discipline requirement. Please see the Exam Handbook for additional qualifying disciplines. *
- Professional practice experience (work or volunteer):
- General: 2 years
- Diabetes education: 1,000 hours - within a maximum of 5 years (with 200 of those hours in the last 12 months)
- Continuing education (CE) activities: 15 hours of diabetes related CE within past 2 years
Maintaining the CDCES certification requires renewal every five years. But, once you’ve earned the credential, it’s never too early to think about renewing your credential, e.g., create a reminder in your calendar in January of the year your certification expires to remind you to check renewal eligibility requirements and applicable deadlines. Learn more. Please note that you will begin accruing either continuing education activities or renewal practice hours the January following the date you initially pass the examination.