CBDCE promotes ongoing quality diabetes care, education, prevention and support by providing certification and credentialing programs that incorporate and reflect best practices. 

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CBDCE Celebrated 35 years of Diabetes Care and Education

The Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education (CBDCE) celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2021. The organization was founded in 1986 to formalize and validate a specific body of knowledge for the multi-disciplinary healthcare practitioners who specialized in providing diabetes care and education to people with diabetes. 

Since it was first awarded in 1986, the CDE credential (now the CDCES) has become a standard of excellence for the delivery of quality diabetes education. As the certification board reflects on the accomplishments of the past 35 years, the organization’s leadership and staff stay focused on the future. 
 

“We have expanded our role to capture not just the education but the support and care that we provide. Where we were 35 years ago as we took the first CDE exam to where we are today is an incredible thing to think about,” Joan Bardsley, MBA, RN, CDCES, FAADE, former Chair of the CBDCE Board and inaugural CDE test taker, said.

“We all start as one professional sitting at our first conference or in our first committee meeting, but it quickly becomes clear that we are part of a much larger movement, a much larger community, that is making a difference in people’s lives.”    Read full article on the evolution of the CDCES credential. 

History

The National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE) was established in 1986 as an independent organization to promote the interests of diabetes educators and the public at large by granting certification to qualified health professionals involved in teaching persons with diabetes, through establishment of eligibility requirements and development of a written examination.

In 2020, the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE) changed its name to the Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education (CBDCE). The name of the Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) credential was also changed to Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES). 

About the Program 

The CBDCE organization administers the Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist certification program. The purpose of the program is to conduct certification activities in a manner that upholds standards for competent practice in diabetes self-management education. If you have questions about the organization or the credential, please contact us.
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Accreditation

On March 22, 2016, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) granted accreditation to the NCBDE CDE program for demonstrating compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs.

NCCA is the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. The NCCA Standards were created in 1977 and updated in 2003 to ensure certification programs adhere to modern standards of practice for the certification industry. CBDCE joins an elite group of more than 120 organizations representing over 270 programs that have received and maintained NCCA accreditation.