Jacquelyn Free, FNP Becomes a Certified Diabetes Educator

Sidney Health Center is pleased to announce that Jacquelyn Free, Family Nurse Practitioner recently became a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE).

According to the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators, a CDE® is a health professional who possesses comprehensive knowledge of and experience in diabetes management, prediabetes, and diabetes prevention. With this certification, healthcare professionals educate and support people affected by diabetes to understand and manage the condition. Furthermore, they promote self-management to achieve individualized behavioral and treatment goals that optimize health outcomes.

To become a Certified Diabetes Educator, a healthcare professional must pass a national test. The test covers physiology, drug treatment, blood glucose testing, complications, mental health issues, and teaching/learning principles. Going forward, there is a recertification test every 5 years.

In her scope of practice, Jacquelyn treats acute and chronic patients, specifically serving diabetic patients since 2010. She decided to get her certification as a diabetes educator in 2017 to expand the services for diabetic patients. With this certification, Jacquelyn is able to initiate and train patients with insulin pumps as well as observe trends of glucose levels over a course of several days with the use of continuous glucose monitors.

Unlike a blood glucose meter (BGM), which provides just a single glucose reading, continuous glucose monitor systems provide real-time, dynamic glucose information over a course of time. This allows the patient and their provider to gain valuable insight about the patient's glucose levels, speed, and direction giving additional insight to proactively manage their diabetes.

Jacquelyn is located in the MonDak Family Clinic in Fairview. Office hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30AM – 5:00PM and Friday 8:30AM – Noon. To schedule an appointment with Jacquelyn, please call the clinic at 406.742.5261.