Faye Gao

The role of diabetes CNC:

• Inpatient diabetes education and management review for all types of diabetes.
• Diabetes CNC-led clinic providing assessment and access to the latest technology for improved management of diabetes.
• Glucose monitoring and insulin dose adjustments (including insulin pump settings review) in outpatient settings.
• Liaise with community teams and services, and multidisciplinary service providers to support discharge planning.
• Support various specialized clinics, including the Lung Transplant Clinic, Type 1 Diabetes Clinic, High Risk Foot Service, and Cystic Fibrosis Clinic.
• Provide education to nursing staff on diabetes management.

The role of the Diabetes NPC:

• Work under the supervision of medical mentor Prof. Anthony Russell (Director of the department).
• Perform comprehensive health assessments on people with diabetes, including systemic physical examination, foot assessment, and specific assessment according to the history of complaints.
• Demonstrate knowledge in differential diagnosis and diabetes management by proposing plans to consultants and case reporting to a medical mentor within the NPC scope of practice.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of pharmaceuticals and diagnostic tests related to diabetes management, lipids management, cardiovascular risk reduction, and renal production.
• Demonstrate competency in managing complex conditions within a multidisciplinary team, e.g., heart failure and diabetes, HIV and diabetes, organ transplant recipients and diabetes, chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
• Collaborate and network with a broad range of multidisciplinary service providers to provide care in a holistic approach.
• Collaborate with NP/CNC from other specialties for quality improvement projects.
• Applying clinical guidelines and clinical study results into daily practice, with negotiation strategies and a people-centered approach, to achieve mutually agreed plans.
• Act as a positive role model for continuous learning, and consistently perform advanced-level nursing practice.

• Review and update organizational policies and procedural guidelines.
• Implement quality improvement projects, including providing culturally sensitive care to clients from diverse backgrounds, and initiating diabetes risk screenings in community settings.
• Provide orientation and supervision to new nursing staff.
• Coordinate health promotion events within the community.
• Conduct regular health education sessions for individuals at high risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
• Conduct assessments and provide support to clients living with chronic health conditions to empower self-management.
• Develop individualized diabetes care plans, including home-based glucose testing frequency, hypoglycemia management, and sick day protocols.
• Adjust insulin doses based on clients' glucose levels.
• Advocate for clients to access technologies that enhance diabetes care and improve control.
• Offer after-hours phone support to clients.

Inpatient Diabetes CNC role:

• Respond to and triage inpatient diabetes CNC referrals in a timely manner.
• Perform an assessment on patients' competency in self-management of chronic diseases, especially diabetes care.
• Provide education to empower patients' self-management skills, or those of their families and caregivers.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams for safe discharge planning.

HARP Diabetes CNC role:

• Support various HARP program-funded specialist clinics, including the Diabetes Foot Service and the HARP Diabetes Clinic.
• Provide ongoing and holistic support to HARP clients.
• Conduct home visitation for self-management assessment, and provide individualized plans according to home environment settings.
• Planning care with considerations of clients' social determinants of health.
• Lead or participate actively in the multidisciplinary meeting for care and discharge planning.
• Identify the imminent risk of hospitalization, and respond timely in collaboration with available health resources.

• Provide diabetes review and education to clients in both outpatient and urgent care settings.
• Advocate for people with diabetes to access treatment initiation and intensification with local GPs.
• Support diabetes telehealth reviews provided by an endocrinologist from the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
• Actively involve yourself with community-based services, including health promotion, mental health first aid, smoking cessation, alcohol reduction.
• Review relevant policies on diabetes care, e.g., service intake, triage protocol.

• Work in a fast-paced environment.
• Conduct a nursing assessment based on presenting complaints.
• Order pathology tests based on presenting complaints within the ED RN scope of practice.
• Order analgesics within the ED RN scope of practice.
• Perform high-level nursing skills with critical thinking.

• General medical ward nursing, Maroondah Hospital.
• GEM Rehab - Wantirna Health.
• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate nursing care for assigned patients.
• Administer medications and treatments according to physician orders.