(P603) Forecasting a Professional Network of Diabetes Educators in a Developing Country: The DiabetesPRO Community

As the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, more trained nurses are required to help people with the condition avoid life-changing complications and promote healthier lifestyle behaviors. Although global organizations warned of a shortfall of nurses and called national leaders to invest in an adequately trained nursing workforce, few governments have successfully created networks for nursing professional development in diabetes care and education. This poster reviews current standards in international certification for diabetes nurses and challenges in equipping novice nurses to become change leaders. The poster authors present a web-based approach created during the COVID-19 pandemic that was able to spark the interest of over 8,000 Brazilian nurses into becoming diabetes care and education specialists and share insights about the community support and virtual education provided.