I'm a health care professional and also a type 1 diabetic. I'm an EMT and I work in a hospital emergency room. I have never had a problem.

I'm careful about managing my diabetes and one way I do that effectively is with an insulin pump. It keeps me on a much more even keel and I don't have to stick with such a strict eating schedule.

However, if you are thinking about going to medical school, you have to consider the long hours of internship and residency that may not be too accomodating with diabetes. I do know an ER doctor who wears an insulin pump and he does fairly well but he always wears a fanny pack with snacks in it in case he needs it. He is not a surgeon. He once mentioned to me that his residency was tough and that sometimes the diabetes was a problem. He didn't wear a pump prior to starting his residency but once he got one, he told me it made things a lot easier. As an EMT, I could really understand that as I worked long hours too and did not have a conventional eating/sleeping schedule.

So...if you are thinking about a medical career, think about looking into getting a pump.

Also, there are other areas of practice...nursing, paramedic, respiratory, anethesia and so on. You could look at those as options.

Good luck and don't let it hold you back. I never did. There's one thing I learned about diabetes a long time ago...there are a lot of diseases that can take your life...diabetes can take OVER your life...whether or not you let it is entirely up to you.

EMT