As an experienced GP the diploma course revealed to me a vast repository of unknown unknowns. It did of course direct me to find the answers. Covering the full breadth of diabetes practice this new knowledge has been in daily use in my practice since. My confidence in advising people with diabetes about their care has increased and this is reflected in their acceptance of advice and treatment. Better understanding of the processes of diabetes care has led to enhancement of the practice systems and has enabled me to take on a commissioning role at the CCG.

In addition to gains in clinical knowledge, the newly learned skills of finding, reviewing and evaluating published evidence have enabled a new approach to the questions which arise in everyday practice.

Undertaking the diploma has improved the care of my patients with diabetes and changed the way I practice medicine.

I think the online learning was suitable because of the flexibility really that it gives you. You know, you can do it from the comfort of your own home, at any time of day, and also with laptops and iPads, I find that it fit in quite well with the working week. Or if you’re going away for the weekend you can log on quite easily wherever you are really.

Not only did the Diploma improve my analytical thinking and evidence based practice, it also enhanced my job satisfaction, my research skills and prepared me to conduct basic clinical trials. Later, after concluding the diploma, I was appointed as course tutor. This kept me busy learning day and night in order to meet the educational expectations working for this prestigious university. Also, it has benefited my practice as I kept in touch with the state of the art in Diabetes management. The online teaching experience was unique because it enabled me to know many people from different countries. Now, I have a supportive network of expert colleagues working world- wide in the field of diabetes. Additionally, the process of online learning can be done at the comfort of your own place without the need to travel to the university or to scarify your current job.

You change not just in terms of diabetes, but as a doctor, is massive, for me it has been life- changing. I think I’ve become a better doctor, from just the last year… and the confidence to treat patients is massive. It just changes everything in terms of how you see your patients to how you feel about them.

Just as Diabetes is a multidisciplinary disease, this course is multidisciplinary learning. Allied health professionals have as much to learn and benefit from this course as doctors and other diabetes specialists. Working online in groups you get the chance to learn from the experiences of others as they in turn have the chance to learn from you. I always felt that I was involved and never felt out of place. I’ve made many changes to practice since I have been on this course and I feel I can make a big difference for my patients.

Doing this diploma has really changed the way I practice; I have a lot more confidence to question therapy decisions and stand my ground with my opinions. I have also learnt how to research issues I am still not familiar with and critically look at the possible answers I find in various studies and protocols. I found interacting with so many other participants absolutely invigorating as we all work in such diverse economic climates and patients settings. I have made friends for a life time with some of my group participants and will always value to support and privileges they have afforded me!

The course itself caters perfectly for busy professionals as the online correspondence allowed me to still do my daily work but also maintain normality to other aspects of life, as i could take the course with me wherever i was. The course has helped me to broaden my outlook and boosted my confidence in managing my patients and has helped me become far more efficient in clinical trial research and understanding of related studies currently being done. It is highly recommended for anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of diabetes in an exciting, stimulating unconventional way of studying.

I worked in a practice with a high prevalence of diabetes patients both type 1 and type 2 and I felt inadequate and under equipped to deal with their problems so I enrolled on the course. The tutors were excellent teachers, patient, knowledgeable and encouraging- we were free to ask any questions and always got good responses. I am involved in the care of patients with diabetes in surgery and due to my acquired knowledge my delivery of care is better. Would I recommend the diabetes diploma course to a friend? I definitely will and have done as I think it will equip healthcare professionals working with patients that have diabetes to deliver better care.

The students on the course are organised into study groups with a tutor and they work together using an on-line forum. As a more mature student this concept made me a bit nervous at first but it was easy to access and use the forum -even for those not up to date with all the latest IT innovations. My on-line study group became really lively and friendly so I'm really missing them now that the course is over. At this point I feel that I can really help patients by answering their questions with accurate and up-to-date information. I must admit that being able to answer my collagues tricky questions on diabetes has also been very satisfying! The great thing about it is that it has really got me interested in lots of aspects of diabetes which makes my day-to-day work much more enjoyable.

Through the Diabetes Diploma, I got the opportunity to interact with one of the best faculty, administrators and colleagues from all over the world not to mention the numerous other facilities (to include free access to practically all important journals). The most important change has been on my clinical practice that is now based on more robust evidence-based decision making and less on intuition-based gambles.

I would like to continue my educational journey with Cardiff University as a student of Masters in Diabetes. I started two years ago with very limited knowledge of diabetes with no clinical experience to deal this complex disease but after half way through the course I became the clinical lead of diabetes in my practice. The course gave me confidence and support I need to implement new changes and make appropriate evidence based adjustments to current practice. Looking at past two years I do not have doubt in my mind that coming year would be a milestone of my career.

It is not often these days that you get the thrill of learning something new and feeling like you understand it. In fact the first 10 weeks on this course have been equivalent to going to school for the first time, not knowing a thing, and ending the year knowing how to read and write!

I honestly feel that I have learnt how to "read" journal and trials results for the first time with a bit of insight. Thank you very much to all involved, for the study material and designing of the course thus far.

Having completed both the Diploma and the MSc of diabetes at Cardiff, I found online Learning a unique experience; it gives you the pleasure of learning, while enjoying the comfort of home. The knowledge I gained was enormous, I have learned a lot about managing different aspects of diabetes. I learned from discussions how different are the views for one problem, and how discussion adds to your knowledge. I also enjoyed learning statistics and research methodology. The MSc gave me the chance to practice writing a systematic review, which added to my research and writing experience.

For me, both the Diploma and MSc course from Cardiff University have been professionally very satisfying. Not only have they equipped me with evidence based diabetes diagnostic skills, but also provided me with a comprehensive and integrated approach to addressing my patients’ concerns and providing them with the necessary response and care. It is immensely satisfying to now see my patients relating and accepting the advice provided to them. Above all this, the courses have helped me to achieve a dream of mine, of joining a premier diabetes institute in Dr. Mohan's Diabetic Specialities Centre, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.

I chose to study ‘Insulin Pumps’ as a stand-alone module as this was an area of practice I had little knowledge of and needed to develop. I have studied via distance learning in the past as this mode of learning allows me the freedom to juggle studying with work/life commitments. I found the course content extremely valuable and interesting, whilst interacting with other students was a great way of sharing experiences and knowledge. The course is tough at times but I felt fully supported by my fellow students, tutor and the administrative team.