Position statement on defining a Diabetes Specialist Nurse for adult services and a career and education framework for diabetes specialist nursing
Diabetes Specialist Nurses (DSNs) are central to good patient care and outcomes including confident self-care management. Evidence shows that DSNs are cost effective, improve clinical outcomes and reduce length of stay in hospital.
The two documents below set out recommendations for defining a DSN for adult services and provide a career and education framework for DSNs.
They were produced jointly with TREND, WAND, DISN UK Group, WEDS, PCDS, Swansea University and the University of Leicester.
The position statement recommends that:
- There should be only one job title for Diabetes Specialist Nurses
- There should be one common pathway to become a Diabetes Specialist Nurse
- There should be an agreed minimum qualification level to become a Diabetes Specialist Nurse
Defining who is a Diabetes Specialist Nurse (Adult Nursing) (PDF, 744KB)
The career and education framework is aimed at registered nurses who provide diabetes care or specialist diabetes care, commissioners and providers of diabetes services and academic institutions who provide diabetes education for nurses and aims to:
- Standardise job titles
- Differentiate levels of practice
- Inform academic provision
- Provide a standardised approach to the development of diabetes-specific nursing skills through competency assessment.
Career and Education framework for Diabetes Specialist Nursing (PDF, 331KB)
