Most staff nurses were hesitant to initiate diabetes teach ing because they lacked clear expectations and were un comfortable about their knowledge and ability. The dia betes educator, using a problem-solving approach, pro vided clear guidelines for teaching, revised the Diabetes Chart Form, lengthened the monthly inservice meeting to include methods and expectations for staff teaching, and initiated a one-to-one Diabetes Orientation Day for each of 20 staff nurses. One year later an audit showed a mean of 95 % score in four areas of teaching compared to a mean of 61 % five years earlier.