05-10
RESOLUTION TO THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL OF
HEALTH-SYSTEM PHARMACISTS
Subject: Given the knowledge base that pharmacists possess with regard to educating
patients about diabetes, their medications as well as co-morbidities that routinely
accompany diabetes, and given the need for diabetes education services in New York
State, the New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists (NYSCHSP) should
petition the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDEs) to exempt
New York State pharmacists from the minimum requirement of 1000 hours of Diabetes
Self-Management Education (DSME) experience before applying for the examination.
Whereas, New York has only 1,000 certified diabetes educators (CDEs) and nearly
70% of them provide State diabetes education services to patients on a part-time basis,
and,
Whereas, there are too few CDEs given the state’s diabetes crisis. Based on a study of
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data, approximately 960,000 in
New York State are estimated to have diagnosed diabetes, and,
Whereas, diabetes disproportionally affects selected racial and ethnic groups that tend
to be more concentrated in cities such as New York City, and,
Whereas, people with diabetes are encouraged to maintain tighter blood glucose
control, thereby presenting additional challenges to the diabetic, and,
Whereas, people with diabetes are routinely presented with co-morbidities and adjunct
medications in addition to hypoglycemic agents, and,
Whereas, the curriculum for the pharmacy program includes disease state management
of diabetes as well as the co-morbidities routinely experienced by the patient with
diabetes, and,
Whereas, the management of diabetes often incorporates the use of multiple and
complex hypoglycemic agents in which pharmacists are appropriately trained, and,
Whereas, the education that pharmacists routinely provide people with diabetes with
regarding their disease state and their medications and co-morbidities should be
considered part of the required DSME experience, and,
Whereas, it is often difficult for pharmacists to complete the minimum of 1000 hours of
DSME professional practice experience as employment for compensation as a diabetes
educator, and,
Whereas, pharmacists are experts in pharmacology and bring to the educational
session additional knowledge regarding diabetes and the co-morbidities that are not
routinely provided by the other diabetic educators such as the physician, registered
nurse, clinical psychologist, occupational therapist, optometrist, physical therapist,
podiatrist, registered dietician, physician assistant, healthcare professional with a
master’s degree in social work, nutrition, health education, and,
Be it resolved that:
THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL OF HEALTH-SYSTEM PHARMACISTS
PETITIONS THE NATIONAL CERTIFICATION BOARD FOR DIABETES
EDUCATORS (NCBDES) TO EXEMPT NEW YORK STATE REGISTERED
PHARMACISTS FROM THE MINIMUM 1000 HOURS OF DIABETES SELFMANAGEMENT EDUCATION (DSME) BEFORE APPLYING FOR THE
EXAMINATION.
Date: February 1, 1010
_____________________
Fredrick Cassera RPh MBA
___________________
Michael Delio RPh, MBA BCPS