Medical Professionals reviewing medication and information.

The Educator's Role

Joslin Diabetes Center’s Diabetes Practicum for Educators is an exciting opportunity for healthcare professionals to acquire a better understanding of the educator's unique role in the management of patients with diabetes, a disease that is altering the healthcare landscape.

The experience you’ll gain from learning at Joslin is unmatched, and can be easily implemented at your own institution.

  • Gain a comprehensive understanding of diabetes and its treatments
  • Observe the use of cutting-edge diabetes management tools
  • Interact with diabetes educators from all disciplines

Interdisciplinary Learning

If you join Joslin's diabetes practicum, you will work with educators in nutrition, exercise physiology, and nursing. You may also be able to observe doctors and nurse practitioners in both adult and pediatric settings.

Our experience will give you the ability to see our staff interact with patients in individual appointments as well as group classes. You will work with nutrition, exercise physiology and nursing, learning hands on practical medical and nutritional therapy for type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

The nutrition staff will guide you through application of basic and advanced carbohydrate counting with basic insulin adjustment for food and exercise. Through use of discussion, case studies and patient cases, one of our nutrition experts will be your guide to the Joslin experience for the week.

Our program gives you the ultimate in a personalize immersion in the latest in diabetes therapy. In addition to the experiences above, you will have the opportunity to observe our pump and continuous glucose monitoring programs in action; work with the devices and tools used in blood glucose management; as well as select from a menu of our specialty clinics to attend.

Registered dietitians, registered nurses and exercise physiologists especially from outside the U.S. are encouraged to apply. Foreign applicants must have at least a Bachelor’s degree in nutrition or nursing to participate.

Click here to download an application

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, but will be reviewed for final decision by the following deadlines:

  • For practicum periods starting between March and June – November 1
  • For practicum periods starting between September and December – May


Fill out the application and send it by email to JoslinTraining [at] joslin.harvard.edu or mail your completed application to:

Diabetes Practicum For Students
Education Department
Joslin Diabetes Center
One Joslin Place, Boston, MA 02215