Who’s Who in Diabetes Care
Diabetes is a complex disease—too complex for your doctor to handle alone. Diabetes needs a team approach. Many kinds of health care providers may take part in your care. Many have passed special tests to be certified or to receive a license. All play a vital role in helping you live a healthy, full life with diabetes.
Here’s a guide to some of the health care professionals you may meet who are not physicians and the abbreviations that identify them.
NURSES
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Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) have had 12–18 months of training and passed a licensing exam. They assist doctors and registered nurses in providing basic care, such as instruction in injection technique, hypoglycemia treatment, or glucose monitoring. They may take phone information for the doctor and call you back with instructions. In Texas and California, LPNs are called licensed vocational nurses (LVNs).
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Registered nurses (RNs) have studied for 2–5 years at a nursing school and passed a national licensing exam. They monitor and educate patients and give medicines and treatments prescribed by doctors. …
