Experience and experiential leaning: Perceptions of the diabetes educator role
JDN Vol 13 Issue 4 2009
A great deal of learning associated with specialty nursing roles occurs informally and experientially. Here, the authors explore experience and experiential learning in the professional development of nurse diabetes educators. The role of experiential learning in the acquisition of diabetes education and management skills, and the ways in which experiential learning can be quantified for the purposes of demonstrating professional competency, are discussed in the light of data collected from two questionnaires distributed to diabetes educators and endocrinologists, and a series of focus groups.
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Working together: Traditional and non-NHS diabetes service providers
JDN Vol 13 Issue 4 2009
PCTs have an obligation to consider alternative providers when commissioning any services (Department of Health, 2008). These alternative providers should challenge conventional GP service delivery, and encourage innovation to meet people’s changing healthcare needs (Confederation of British Industry, 2007). These innovative, non-NHS providers will need to fit in with the traditional services that the person with diabetes comes into contact with, so there is continuity of care without duplication or, more worryingly, omission of care. In this article, the author describes the development of the Birmingham Own Health programme and how this links with existing services provided by GP practices and the community diabetes team in NHS Birmingham East and North.
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