For more than 8 in 10 case managers (81.9%), case manager training happened on the job, according to the 2026 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey, and more than half (56.9%) took at least one additional step to learn the role. Case managers who rate their training highly are more likely to be satisfied in their current position.

We are often asked about case manager training and how case managers learn the job, especially by nurses who are thinking about making the move and by case managers who are new to the role. To answer this and other questions, the Case Management Institute (CMI) and the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) conducted the 2026 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey, which gathered responses from 2,622 case managers across the country (Cooper Gillingham, 2026).

Of those respondents, 2,588 answered the question about the training they participated in to prepare for their position as a case manager. Respondents could select all the answers that applied, so the percentages in this article add up to more than 100%.

What Training Do You Need to Become a Case Manager?

There is no single training required to become a case manager. Case management is not an entry-level position, and healthcare experience is the starting point for most people who enter the field. Among case managers with 5 years or less in case management, 71.5% have 11 or more years of experience in healthcare, and 50.3% have 16 or more. Based on additional CMI analysis of the 2026 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey data.

More than 8 in 10 case managers (81.9%) learned the specialty itself through on-the-job training (Cooper Gillingham, 2026). For this reason, the quality of that training matters, and it is covered later in this article.

How Do Case Managers Learn the Role?

Case managers learn the role in a variety of ways, and many use more than one. After on-the-job training, the most common ways are continuing education credit on case management topics (29.3%), a case management training program or course outside a college or university (27.4%), and a book on case management (22.8%) (Cooper Gillingham, 2026).

More than half of case managers (56.9%) took at least one deliberate step to learn case management beyond on-the-job training, whether through a training program, continuing education, college coursework, or a book (Cooper Gillingham, 2026). On the other hand, 4 in 10 case managers (40.3%) relied on on-the-job training alone. Based on additional CMI analysis of the 2026 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey data.

Has Case Manager Training Changed Since 2022?

Case managers are relying less on on-the-job training than they did in 2022. On-the-job training declined from 91.0% in 2022 to 81.9% in 2026, and the percentage of case managers reporting no preparation fell from 6.1% to 4.2% (Cooper Gillingham, 2026).

Over the same period, the percentage who completed a degree, certificate, or course in case management at a college or university more than doubled, rising from 6.6% to 13.7%. All three changes are statistically significant, which means they are unlikely to be due to chance (Cooper Gillingham, 2026).

The 2026 survey offered more answer options than the 2022 survey. The 2026 figure for college and university training combines the degree, certificate, and course options, with each respondent counted once.

How Do Case Managers Rate Their On-the-Job Training?

Most case managers rate the on-the-job training they received as a new hire positively. Good was the most common rating at 45.0%, and 23.2% rated their training Excellent. On the other side, 23.8% rated it Fair and 5.9% rated it Poor (Cooper Gillingham, 2026).

Because on-the-job training is the most common way case managers learn the role, this means nearly 3 in 10 learned case management through training they rated as Fair or Poor.

Does On-the-Job Training Quality Differ by Setting?

The quality of on-the-job training differs by clinical sector. Case managers in health plans and workers’ compensation rate their training most favorably. Fair and Poor ratings are more common in hospitals, physician practices and clinics, and post-acute facilities. The difference between hospital and health plan case managers is statistically significant.

Rows do not add up to 100% because responses of “Not applicable” are not shown. Sectors with fewer respondents are not included. Based on additional CMI analysis of the 2026 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey data.

Work location shows a similar pattern. Among case managers who work from a home office, 22.3% rated their training Fair and 4.3% rated it Poor, compared with 26.0% and 9.0% of case managers who work in an inpatient clinical setting. The type of employer, such as a private company, government agency, or the military, showed no statistically significant difference.

Newer case managers also rate their training less favorably than experienced case managers do. Among case managers with 5 years or less in case management, 27.3% rated their training Fair and 6.1% rated it Poor, compared with 20.4% and 5.5% of those with 21 or more years. This difference is statistically significant. Because newer case managers received their training more recently, their ratings may better reflect what new hires experience today. Based on additional CMI analysis of the 2026 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey data.

Is Training Quality Linked to Job Satisfaction?

Case managers who rate their on-the-job training highly are more likely to be satisfied in their current position. Among those who rated their training Excellent, 83.8% are satisfied or extremely satisfied with their current position, compared with 53.6% of those who rated it Poor. Even so, more than half of case managers in every group are satisfied or extremely satisfied.

Based on additional CMI analysis of the 2026 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey data.

It is important to note that this is an association, not proof of cause and effect. The survey does not show whether better training leads to greater satisfaction or whether other factors explain both.

What the Survey Did Not Measure

The survey asked how case managers learned the role and how they rated their on-the-job training. It did not measure when that training happened, how long it lasted, or what it covered.

How Can New Case Managers Get Better Training?

As a new case manager, you cannot choose the quality of the on-the-job training your employer provides. You can, however, add to it. Continuing education, training programs, and books are already common ways case managers build their knowledge, and none of them requires a return to the classroom.

On-the-job training is often designed to teach a new case manager how to do the job at that organization, including its policies, systems, and workflows. That training is necessary, but it may not cover the broader knowledge and standards of case management practice that apply in every setting.