Updated for 2026 • 3.25 ANCC contact hours (1.5 pharmacology) • Peer-reviewed by specialists
Diabetes Management in Primary Care
Confidently diagnose, treat, and manage type 2 diabetes in primary care
Managing Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care
Diabetes is one of the most common conditions you'll manage in primary care—but it's also one of the most complex. Today's treatment decisions extend far beyond lowering an A1C. You're expected to incorporate current ADA and AACE recommendations while balancing cardiovascular and kidney protection, weight management, insulin therapy, continuous glucose monitoring, cost, and patient preferences.
Questions like these come up every day:
Should I start metformin—or is another medication the better first choice?
When should I start insulin?
How do I choose the right medications for this patient?
How do I safely titrate insulin?
What should I do when the A1C isn't improving?
When should I send patients to the ER for severe hyperglycemia?
How often should I monitor labs and screen for complications?
This course gives you a practical clinical framework for making safe, confident diabetes management decisions—from diagnosis and medication selection to insulin titration and long-term follow-up.
What you’ll learn in this Diabetes Course:
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Diagnose diabetes and prediabetes using current diagnostic criteria, recognize common diagnostic pitfalls, and distinguish type 1 from type 2 diabetes
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Apply current ADA and AACE guidelines to make practical medication decisions based on cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, weight, hypoglycemia risk, and cost
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Choose, initiate, and safely titrate diabetes medications, including when to start basal insulin and how to optimize treatment when patients aren't meeting their goals
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Recognize and respond to hyperglycemic emergencies, including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS), and know when emergency evaluation is appropriate
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Develop individualized A1C goals and monitoring plans, including appropriate follow-up intervals, glucose monitoring, and screening for diabetes complications
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Manage prediabetes using evidence-based lifestyle recommendations and understand when medication should be considered
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Recognize common pitfalls in diabetes diagnosis and management—including medication selection, insulin therapy, and interpretation of A1C in special populations.
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Build a practical framework for long-term diabetes management that helps you make safe, confident decisions during everyday primary care visits
Why This Diabetes Course is Different
My goal isn't for you to memorize another guideline—it's for you to know what to do when you're sitting in the exam room with a real patient.
Managing diabetes in primary care isn't about memorizing medication classes or treatment algorithms. It's about understanding how to make thoughtful clinical decisions as your patient's health, goals, and treatment needs evolve.
This course teaches a practical framework for approaching diabetes management in real-world primary care. You'll learn how to evaluate the patient in front of you, choose medications based on their comorbidities and goals, recognize when treatment needs to change, and know when a patient can be safely managed in clinic versus when they need a higher level of care.
Throughout the course, we focus on the clinical reasoning behind each decision so you understand not just what to do, but why you're doing it. By the end, you'll have a structured approach you can apply to everyday diabetes visits with greater confidence and clarity. You’ll know when to escalate therapy, how to safely start insulin, and what to do next when patients aren't meeting treatment goals.
What’s Included in This Diabetes Course
This self-paced course includes concise video lessons that walk through a structured approach to diagnosing, treating, and managing diabetes in adult primary care. You'll learn how to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes, apply current ADA and AACE guidelines, choose and optimize diabetes medications, safely initiate and titrate insulin, monitor patients over time, and recognize hyperglycemic emergencies using practical, evidence-based clinical frameworks.
The course also includes practice cases, downloadable Cheat Sheets, and slides for quick reference, and an audio-only playback option through the course app, so you can review lessons while commuting or between clinic sessions.
This activity includes the opportunity to earn 3.25 hours of ANCC continuing education credit (which includes 1.5 hours of pharmacology) upon completion of the post-test and activity evaluation.
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Learn when insulin should be initiated, how to safely start and titrate basal insulin, when to intensify therapy, and how to apply practical insulin management principles using current evidence-based recommendations.
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Diabetes Medications: Non-Insulin
Master the major non-insulin diabetes medication classes, including metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors, DPP-4 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, TZDs, and other therapies. Learn each medication's mechanism, benefits, adverse effects, and when to choose one medication over another.
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Develop a practical understanding of insulin therapy, including basal and bolus insulin, insulin pharmacology, dosing, titration, concentrated insulin formulations, and strategies to minimize hypoglycemia while optimizing glycemic control.
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Learn evidence-based management of prediabetes, including lifestyle intervention and medication considerations, while recognizing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS), identifying red flags, and knowing when emergency evaluation is required.
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Understand the core concepts behind diabetes in primary care, including the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes, common symptoms, risk factors, screening recommendations, treatment goals, and the long-term complications of diabetes.
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Learn how to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes using current ADA and AACE criteria, distinguish type 1 from type 2 diabetes, recognize common diagnostic pitfalls, and identify important differential diagnoses and causes of hyperglycemia.
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Learn evidence-based standards of care for diabetes, including A1C goals, follow-up intervals, complication screening, glucose monitoring, cardiovascular risk reduction, vaccinations, and routine preventive care for adults with diabetes.
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Build a practical framework for managing type 2 diabetes using current ADA and AACE guidelines. Learn how to individualize treatment, choose medications based on cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, weight, hypoglycemia risk, and cost, and know when to initiate insulin therapy.
Who This Diabetes Management Course is For:
Perfect for:
New NPs learning to manage diabetes independently in primary care
Experienced NPs looking to refresh their diabetes management framework and stay current with evidence-based recommendations
Providers transitioning into primary care
Preceptors teaching diabetes management and clinical reasoning to students or new graduates
Who this is NOT for:
Pediatric or OB providers
Emergency, inpatient, or critical care clinicians
Clinicians looking for an advanced endocrine fellowship-level course
Anyone wanting a highly academic endocrine course
This series is designed specifically for adult outpatient primary care.
Get Instant Access to Diabetes Management in Primary Care
One Payment Of:
$347
Your Enrollment Includes:
Complete self-paced diabetes management course
Realistic primary care case-based practice scenarios
Downloadable treatment algorithms and clinical reference guides
Mobile app with audio-only lesson playback
Downloadable Cheat Sheets and references
3.25 ANCC CE hours (which includes 1.5 hours of pharmacology
Please note: This course is intended for educational purposes only and is designed to support clinical learning. It does not replace professional judgment, clinical guidelines, or consultation with specialists when appropriate.
Want to upgrade to the Chronic Care Series Bundle?
The Chronic Care Series Bundle is a bundle of four focused courses. Each course can be purchased individually, but has been bundled to create the most comprehensive learning experience.
The Bundle Includes:
Diabetes Management in Primary Care - $347
Hypertension Management in Primary Care - $197
Chronic Kidney Disease Management in Primary Care - $197
Renal Lab Interpretation Essentials for Primary Care - $197
8.75 ANCC contact hours (including 2.25 pharmacology CE)
$938 value purchased separately - save 31% as a bundle | Learn more
$650
One-time Payment
$217
Three Payments
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3.25 hours of CE (includes 1.5 pharmacology CE)
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Access expires after 1 year with the option to extend access for a nomial fee at the end of the year term. Any downloadable items are yours to keep.
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Yes. The goal of this course isn't simply to review ADA and AACE guideline recommendations—it's to help you apply them confidently in real patient care.
You'll learn how to make thoughtful treatment decisions, choose medications based on cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, weight, hypoglycemia risk, and cost, safely initiate and titrate insulin, and recognize when patients can be safely managed in clinic versus when they require emergency evaluation.
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No.
However, if you'd like a deeper understanding of interpreting kidney function, electrolytes, or urine albumin results, the Lab Interpretation Series provides a more comprehensive framework for interpreting those laboratory tests.
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You don’t have to purchase both bundles, but many primary care NPs find that lab interpretation and chronic disease management go hand-in-hand.
If you choose both, select the Chronic Care Series — Lab Interpretation Companion so you don’t pay for the renal labs course twice.
Frequently asked questions
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Absolutely. It was built especially for new and early-career NPs.
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Yes. We cover both non-insulin and insulin diabetes medications, including how to choose the right medication based on current ADA and AACE guidelines, patient comorbidities, weight, hypoglycemia risk, and cost. You'll also learn when to initiate insulin, how to safely titrate treatment, common adverse effects, monitoring recommendations, and practical strategies for managing patients whose diabetes is not meeting treatment goals.
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Yes. ANCC contact hours count for both credentialing bodies.
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Yes. The course has been updated to reflect the latest ADA/AACE diabetes recommendations and incorporates current evidence throughout the lessons.
Rather than simply reviewing the guidelines, we focus on how to apply them in everyday primary care practice.
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This course is included in the Chronic Care Series Bundle.
If you're interested in diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and hypertension management, the bundle offers the most comprehensive learning experience and provides significant savings compared to purchasing each course individually.
About Real World NP
Real World NP provides practical, continuing education for nurse practitioners in primary care—without the fluff. Founded by Liz Rohr, an NP and educator, we’ve helped over 10,000 learners feel more confident in real-world practice.
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Primary care nurse practitioners manage type 2 diabetes every day, but applying current guidelines in real-world practice isn't always straightforward. Many clinicians search for diabetes management courses for nurse practitioners that go beyond reviewing recommendations to explain how to choose medications, initiate and titrate insulin, monitor patients over time, and safely manage complex cases in the outpatient setting.
This evidence-based diabetes management course is designed specifically for adult primary care nurse practitioners and emphasizes practical clinical reasoning, current ADA and AACE recommendations, medication management, insulin therapy, prediabetes, hyperglycemia, and long-term diabetes care. Through real-world frameworks and case-based learning, you'll develop the confidence to make safe, thoughtful diabetes management decisions in everyday practice.