The First Months After Your Child's Diagnosis 🌟
Ch. 4/5 · Part 1/3
Your Medical Team: Who Does What
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Questions about this content?
Alfred can go deeper on any point in this section.
Questions about this content?
Alfred can go deeper on any point in this section.
In the first weeks after diagnosis, you might have met a handful of specialists and felt overwhelmed by the parade of unfamiliar faces. But here's a different way to look at it: you now have a team of experts whose job is to help your child thrive. Learning who does what means you'll always know exactly who to call.
| Role | What They Do | When to Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Pediatric endocrinologist | Leads your child's diabetes care. Sets insulin doses, reviews data, adjusts treatment plan | Quarterly appointments; urgent medical questions about dosing or symptoms |
| Diabetes educator / nurse | Teaches daily management: injections, pump use, CGM troubleshooting, carb counting | Practical questions, technique problems, day-to-day troubleshooting |
| Registered dietitian | Helps with meal planning, carb counting, nutrition strategy | Food questions, meal strategies, school lunch planning, restaurant navigation |
| Psychologist / social worker | Supports emotional health of child and family | Anxiety, depression, adjustment difficulties, family stress, burnout |
| School nurse | Manages T1D care during school hours | School-specific care plan questions, training other staff |
Tip
Don't wait for quarterly appointments to ask questions. Most diabetes teams welcome emails or portal messages between visits. Write questions down as they come up — no question is too small. Your team would much rather hear from you than have you worry alone at midnight.
Claire, mom of 5-year-old Noah, was terrified when his CGM alarmed at 11 PM on a Sunday. His glucose had been bouncing all evening and she didn't know if she should give a correction. She almost went to the emergency room — then remembered that the diabetes educator had given her the pediatric unit's 24/7 on-call number.
She called. The nurse walked her through exactly what to do. No ER visit needed.
"I felt so stupid for not calling sooner," Claire said. "But they weren't annoyed at all. They told me: that's exactly what this number is for."
Info
Save your diabetes team's on-call number in your phone favorites right now. Most pediatric endocrinology units have 24/7 coverage. You are not bothering them — this is precisely what they're there for.
Print or save this card in your phone:
| Team Member | Name | Phone / Email | Best Time to Reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Endocrinologist | Clinic hours + on-call for urgent | ||
| Diabetes educator | Daytime for practical questions | ||
| Dietitian | By appointment | ||
| Psychologist |
Fill this in at your next clinic visit. Keep a copy in your child's school bag.
Beyond the diabetes-specific team, don't forget:
Tip
At every non-diabetes appointment, remind the doctor that your child has T1D. It affects medication dosing, healing time, and how symptoms are interpreted. Never assume it's in their notes.
You have a question about your child's injection technique. Who should you contact FIRST?
| By appointment |
| 24/7 on-call line | Any time, any concern |
| School nurse | School hours |
| Emergency (local) | 112 / 911 / 15 | Life-threatening emergency only |