2 Diabetes Nurse Practitioner Programs
Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
The incidence of diabetes in the U.S. is rising, which means the demand for nurse practitioners who are trained in the management of diabetes and related conditions is growing, too. At present, the majority of diabetes NPs receive their hands-on education on the job. Increasingly, however, nursing schools are developing programs to train NPs who want to specialize in diabetes management. What diabetes nurse practitioner programs are currently available? Keep reading to learn about 2 diabetes nurse practitioner programs that will put you on the right path toward your desired professional career.
Top 3 Benefits Of Diabetes Nurse Practitioner Programs
As a nurse practitioner with expertise in diabetes management, you’ll make a real difference in your patients’ lives by empowering them to make the right combination of nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle choices to keep their condition under control. And that’s not the only advantage of diabetes nurse practitioner programs.
Benefit #1: BC-ADM certification
A curriculum that emphasizes the pathophysiology, prevention, and management of diabetes is excellent preparation for taking The Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists’ Board Certified-Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM) certification examination. This exam is only open to APRNs. While this certification is not a prerequisite for specializing in the care of diabetic patients, it almost certainly will give you points with prospective employers because it lets them know you’re confident of your expertise in this area.Benefit #2: Salary
On average, diabetes nurse practitioners earn $126,540 annually, fractionally more than nurse practitioners without a specialty who earn $124,680 a year. In many states, though, this salary disparity is much larger. Diabetes nurses in California, for example, make 29 percent more ($160,490) than NPs without a specialty, while diabetes nurses in New York State make 15 percent more ($143,580.) The most highly paid diabetes nurse practitioners may be those who work for endocrinology practices in full-practice states because, in these states, NPs can act as effective substitutes for physicians.Benefit #3: Employment opportunities
Diabetes nurse practitioners are highly sought after. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 37 million Americans—11 percent of the U.S. population—have diabetes, though the condition remains undiagnosed in nearly 9 million of those Americans. It’s been estimated that as many as 98 million Americans—approximately one-third of the U.S. population—are pre-diabetic, meaning that unless they make lifestyle changes, these individuals are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Plenty of employment opportunities exist for diabetes NP specialists in prevention and patient education, as well as in case management.What Diabetes Nurse Practitioner Programs Are Currently Available?
(The following 2 diabetes nurse practitioner programs are currently available. The list includes college programs, certificates, fellowships, and residency training programs.)1. Yale University - New Haven, CT
Program Type: MSN (Diabetes Care Concentration)
Diabetes Care Concentration is a specialty offered as part of Yale University’s Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) program. The curriculum for this diabetes nurse practitioner program consists of three courses, which you will take in your final year of study, in addition to core MSN coursework: a two-credit lecture class focusing on diabetes care and case management and two two-credit practicums scheduled at health facilities throughout New Haven and other parts of the Greater New York City Metropolitan Area.
This program is only open to students who enroll in adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner, adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, midwifery/women’s health nurse practitioner, pediatric primary care nurse practitioner, and pediatric acute care nurse practitioner specialties at Yale University.
2. University of Southern Indiana - Evansville, IN
Program Type: Certificate (Diabetes Management Program)
University of Southern Indiana’s Diabetes Management Program is one of the continuing education diabetes nurse practitioner programs that’s offered online. Its asynchronous learning modules follow educational guidelines set out by the American Diabetes Association and consist of audio/video recordings, reading assignments, articles, web resources, and case studies.
The 10-week-long program is open to advanced practice RNs and has start dates in August (fall) and February (spring.) If you score 70 percent or higher on the comprehensive final examination, you’ll earn 48 continuing education credits, 12 of which are specific to pharmacotherapeutics.
Where Do Diabetes Nurse Practitioners Mostly Work?
Diabetes nurse practitioners hold responsibilities in a variety of professional environments, including hospitals and medical centers, primary care practices and clinics, specialty practices such as endocrinology practices, long-term care facilities, home healthcare agencies, and research institutes.
Work Setting #1: Hospitals
In inpatient settings, specialist diabetes NPs provide educational and support services designed to help patients self-manage their own care more effectively once they are discharged. During hospital admissions, for example, when patients present with symptoms like hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, diabetes NPs will give advice about measuring blood glucose, titrating insulin doses, and using insulin pumps.Work Setting #2: Primary care practices
In outpatient settings, an NP who’s graduated from a diabetes nurse practitioner program will use information retrieved from a patient’s medical history to develop a patient care plan that will become the basis for coordinated care. Patient education and consistency of care are key factors here. Some patients with comorbidities or blood glucose levels that are difficult to control with medications may require referrals to specialists.Work Setting #3: Long-term care facilities
In nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, patients do not manage their own diabetes. Diabetes specialist NPs are responsible for monitoring patients’ blood sugar levels for hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia and for administering insulin or other diabetes medications as necessary. They work with the facility’s dieticians to make sure diabetic patients manage carbohydrate, sugar, and fat intake, and they encourage patients to participate in self-care such as exercise.Starting Salary For Diabetes Nurse Practitioners
When they are just starting out in the field, diabetes nurse practitioners earn $88,640 annually, which comes to $42.62 hourly, $1,705 weekly, or $7,390 monthly.
| Hourly | $42.62 |
| Weekly | $1,705 |
| Monthly | $7,390 |
| Annual | $88,640 |
| (Source: Nursingprocess.org) | |
Average Salary For Diabetes Nurse Practitioners
Experienced diabetes nurse practitioners earn 43 percent more than their less experienced counterparts on average. They make $126,540 a year, which works out to $60.84 an hour, $2,433 a week, or $10,550 a month.
| Hourly | $60.84 |
| Weekly | $2,433 |
| Monthly | $10,550 |
| Annual | $126,540 |
| (Source: Nursingprocess.org) | |
My Final Thoughts
This article has provided a comprehensive look at what diabetes nurse practitioner programs are currently available. Diabetes nurse practice is a dynamic career trajectory for any NP with a firm grounding in physiology who’s interested in empowering patients to make behavioral lifestyle changes that will improve their own health. While there may only be 2 diabetes nurse practitioner programs in the nation presently, since diabetes is a growing health problem in the U.S., we’ll likely see many more such programs in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions Answered
1. On Average, How Much Do Diabetes Nurse Practitioners Make Per Hour?
On average, diabetes nurse practitioners can expect to earn $60.84 an hour.| Salary Per Hour |
| $60.84 |
2. On Average, How Much Do Diabetes Nurse Practitioners Make Per Week?
Diabetes nurse practitioners average $2,433 a week.| Salary Per Week |
| $2,433 |
3. On Average, How Much Do Diabetes Nurse Practitioners Make Per Month?
As a diabetes nurse practitioner, your salary will average $10,550 a month.| Salary Per Month |
| $10,550 |
4. On Average, How Much Do Diabetes Nurse Practitioners Make Per Year?
Diabetes nurse practitioners make $126,540 per year on average.| Salary Per Year |
| $126,540 |
5. What Are The 10 Highest Paying States For Diabetes Nurse Practitioners?
The highest-paying states for diabetes NPs include four Northeastern states (New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut) and three states on the Pacific Coast (California, Washington, and Oregon.) California is the state where nearly all healthcare professionals including diabetes nurse practitioners earn the highest salaries. California’s cost of living is nearly 50 percent higher than the U.S. cost of living as a whole, however, so even though diabetes nurse practitioners in the Golden State make $160,490 a year, their purchasing power may not go as far as that of diabetes NPs in states that pay less.| Rank | Highest Paying States | |
| State | Average Annual Salary | |
| 1 | California | $160,490 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $145,390 |
| 3 | New York | $143,580 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $140,770 |
| 5 | Oregon | $138,280 |
| 6 | Nevada | $138,260 |
| 7 | Washington | $137,610 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $133,450 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $131,490 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $130,220 |
6. What Are The 10 Highest Paying Cities For Diabetes Nurse Practitioners?
Since California is the top-paying state for diabetes nurse practitioners, it’s not surprising that nine of the 10 top-paying metros for diabetes NPs are in the Golden State. Again, this is related to the cost of living: The cost of living in San Jose, for example, is significantly more than twice what it is in other parts of the U.S. If diabetes nurse practitioners weren’t compensated so highly in the Silicon Valley, they simply could not afford to live there.| Rank | Highest Paying Cities | |
| City | Average Annual Salary | |
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $202,610 |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $192,910 |
| 3 | Napa, CA | $192,010 |
| 4 | Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | $183,690 |
| 5 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $172,860 |
| 6 | Yuba City, CA | $164,100 |
| 7 | Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA | $160,160 |
| 8 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | $159,840 |
| 9 | Salinas, CA | $159,260 |
| 10 | El Centro, CA | $154,640 |
Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Pattie Trumble is a nurse who worked in both California and New York for many years as an emergency room nurse. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. After 10 years of providing direct care, she went back to school and earned concurrent Master’s degrees in both public policy and public health from the University of California, Berkeley. Thereafter, she worked for various public health agencies in California at both the community and state levels providing economic and legislative analysis.
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