Walter Reed’s Diabetes Nurse Educator Receives Values in Action Recognition

Photo By James Black | Nurse Educator Traci M. Carter smiles in her office on April 23, 2024 at Walter Reed...... read more read more

Photo By James Black | Nurse Educator Traci M. Carter smiles in her office on April 23, 2024 at Walter Reed amid her Values in Action Award and medical toolkit before meeting her next onsite patient in Bethesda, Maryland  see less | View Image Page

BETHESDA, MD, UNITED STATES

04.30.2024

Story by James Black 

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

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By James A. Black – WRNMMC Office of Command Communications

Nursing: Answering the Call to Serve

Traci M. Carter, the pediatric diabetes nurse educator at Walter Reed National Medical Center and the Alexander T. Augusta Medical Center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, recently received a Values in Action award presented by Walter Reed director U.S. Navy Capt. (Dr.) Melissa Austin. Carter’s professionalism and teamwork garnered the trust and respect of her patients and peers, embodying the very spirt of the hospital’s values and mission in delivering patient-centered excellence surmised Austin.

“I was called early to the nursing profession and had no doubts,” shared Carter, a native of Clarion County, Pennsylvania. “My environment and upbringing shaped me by stressing the need for a profession that would be used anywhere and anytime.”

Carter earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Thiel College, and later received her master’s degree in liberal studies from the University of Mary Washington.

As a 21-year-old college senior, Carter met a recruiter who encouraged her to apply for a medical/surgical nurse internship at Wright-Patterson Air Force Regional Medical Center in Fairborn, Ohio. It was a life-altering opportunity that piqued her interest in military medicine.

During her internship, Carter became interested in the role that diabetes education played in preventing long-term complications, including vision loss, heart disease, and potentially life-threating tissue damage.

Diabetes: An Often Silent and Life-Threatening Condition

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.

Carter explained that our bodies break down most of the food we eat into sugar (glucose) and releases it into our bloodstreams. When a person’s blood sugar goes up, it signals the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin, Carter pointed out, acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy.

With diabetes, a patient’s body doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin a patient’s cells stop responding to insulin, and too much blood sugar may remain a patient’s bloodstream, Carter shared. Over time, that may cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.

According to the CDC there are three types of diabetes, and Carter individually customizes her guidance to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. In particular, she meets with patients to develop healthy coping practices and provide guidance on creating a healthy nutritional plan.

Types of Diabetes

There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant).

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake). This reaction stops your body from making insulin. Approximately 5-10 percent of the people who have diabetes have type 1. Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed at any age, and symptoms often develop quickly. If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to take insulin every day to survive.

Type 2 Diabetes

With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t use insulin well and can’t keep blood sugar at normal levels. About 90-95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2. It develops over many years and is usually diagnosed in adults (but more and more in children, teens, and young adults). You may not notice any symptoms, so it’s important to get your blood sugar tested if you’re at risk. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle changes, such as:

• Losing weight.
• Eating healthy food.
• Being active.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women who have never had diabetes. If you have gestational diabetes, your baby could be at higher risk for health problems. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after your baby is born. However, it increases your risk for type 2 diabetes later in life. Your baby is more likely to have obesity as a child or teen and develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

A Champion for Greater Diabetes Awareness and Prevention

Carter’s passion for preventing diabetes is exceeded only by her empathy in improving the lives of those living with the potentially life-threatening disease.

During her career, Carter has won numerous awards and presented whitepapers during annual meetings hosted by the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists, one of the premier professional organizations focused on improving diabetic patient care.

Carter shared that she’s always trying to make her mentors proud. “One of my first nurse managers impressed me with her professionalism and [her ability in] always making people feel heard.” That ethos imbued Carter with a desire to be an engaged and empathetic professional, connecting with patients and her teammates by building trust and transparency.

To learn more about diabetic patient services at Walter Reed, visit this link:

https://walterreed.tricare.mil/Health-Services/Specialty-Care/Endocrinology-Diabetes-Metabolism