What does it take to deliver a true "patient-centered" diabetes encounter? What are the skills needed to be a good vs. great vs. exceptional diabetes educator? Can empathy, which is needed to be a caring and attentive clinician, be learned? Can you be a knowledgeable and competent diabetes educator with a minimal level of empathy? Are they mutually exclusive?

As a diabetes educator, I have had to overcome a lot of challenges with my own professional shyness, fear of public speaking, and just interacting with important people who know more than I do. I have been building my clinical expertise in diabetes care and management, effective education methods, curriculum development, counseling and coaching skills for the last 15 years. But still, I do not know if my expertise and professional skills are good vs. great vs. exceptional. Am I better than other advance level diabetes clinicians? How do I know that my encounters with patients produce a higher level of engagement that is needed for a healthy patient-healthcare professional relationship?

A few Saturdays ago, I was invited to speak to a local association of athletes with diabetes. My talk was all about "Reverse Empowerment": How to Empower Your Health Care Team to Empower You. My mission was to outline all of the elements needed in order to be in the "driver's seat" and have the health care team support them. I wanted to help patients progress from "riding a tricycle" to "driving a car." Only one participant was 100% satisfied with his encounter with a diabetes educator. When I asked him to explain what about that interaction was so satisfying, he responded, "We talk about everything else but diabetes." Most of the people in the audience were very involved in their care already, but the majority of them indicated that what was missing from diabetes education was "all of the stuff that has nothing to do with education." It really got me thinking. This is how I have felt when working with patients who know everything about diabetes, but continue to follow up with me even though I have nothing to teach them at that point.

I look forward to a time when the diabetes education field will somehow segment the skills in behavioral interventions to both acknowledge those who do well and to also help the ones who would like to grow those skills. For starters, in learner-centered education the Conversation Map program has a Facilitator Evaluation Tool. This document serves as an evaluation tool that educators can use either for peer review, or personal review (i.e. self-reflection) of a Conversation Map session. It is designed to guide the growth and development of the facilitator. You can download this resource by logging into your account above.

Have you ever evaluated your facilitation skills or the facilitation skills of a peer? How did it go? Let us know.

Barbara Eichorst, MS, RD, CDE
Lead Facilitator, Healthy Interactions