to think that a hospital nurse should have basic knowledge of Type 1 Diabetes?

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I had to take DD (6) to A&E this morning for a matter which can be potentially serious in children with Type 1 Diabetes. We were sent by the GP.

During triage, I was explaining what had happened and why the diabetes affected it.

Triage Nurse - So, how is her diabetes managed? Just through diet.

Me - Um, no - she has Type 1 diabetes. She is on an insulin pump.

Triage Nurse - Oh - what is that?

The glucose level needs managing. If you have a low glucose, that's something that needs addressing urgently.

Same for high glucose.

I am a nurse and don't believe ignorance is endemic and that general nurses have no clue!! That is so insulting and a massive over generalisation.

Every nurse I know and have ever known has had a good understanding of diabetes and would know that you can not control type 1 diabetes by diet.

The nurse the op refers to sounds thick but she is by no means typical of all nurses.

I got taught this stuff in my first aid at work course, so would think YANBU. I doubt this level of ignorance is endemic. Most nurses are both competent and caring, but the other type make the headlines

I suspect staff in most general wards and departments would say that they would like more training on chronic conditions such as diabetes. Renal failure and respiratory problems are other similar areas.
The pump is one thing I'm NOT surprised that she was unfamiliar with though. They really aren't as well known as the people using them might think. Definitely something the ED department should be working on however and the OP raising it should help with that.

YANBU, DP is type one (insulin pen) and luckily we haven't had to go to A&E but I'd certainly expect them to know what it was if we did! I think you should write a letter to the hospital because this is fairly basic stuff a nurse should know, and I'd think the vast majority of nurses would know!

Totally hear you on the 'people not knowing the difference between types' one though, we have to explain things a lot and I think theres quite a lot of stigma around diabetes (type 2) being an illness you get if you're overweight or don't look after yourself, that it often feels like we have to explain as well.

I'm a nurse - not a specialist in diabetes by any means but I have a basic knowledge of type 1 and type 2 and more importantly I know how to manage a hypo! Hedgehog I'm shocked by what happened to you, that's far worse than a triage nurse making an idiotic comment. I admit to not knowing a huge amount about insulin pumps but I do know what they are.
Like all NHS nurses I have to do mandatory training and one of these courses is how to manage hypoglycemia. There is a policy that we must follow (and wandering off to get dinner is not it) and every nurse should know it. This includes nurses like me who don't even work on the wards so would be unlikely to ever have to deal with it.

You should complain. Like other posters, I'm also a lay person but have a basic understanding of this subject. The nurse's ignorance is quite frightening and her question "So can you not just control it by diet?" is unprofessionally rude! And abominably and unforgivably stupid!

YANBU. That's appalling.

There is an unbelievable amount of ignorance around diabetes. I'm in my twenties, and a healthy weight, as is SIL. We're both diabetic - one of us type 1, the other type 2 and neither was caused by too many sweeties. The type 2 is often assumed to be a type 1 just because of age and body type, the type 1 gets "helpful" tips on how to manage diabetes using wholegrain , and both of us get bigoted crap from the general public who have spent the last decade being fed a media diet of "diabetics - they've only themselves to blame, you know".

Do the NURSE a favour too and complain - she seriously needs some training. That is dangerous.

Really shocked at that.