Case Managers Are…Miracle workers, Peacemakers, and Multi-taskers
1. Miracle workers: we pull rabbits out of hats we didn’t know had rabbits!
2. Peacemakers: we smooth out the roads between obnoxious uncooperative providers and our
injured workers, other providers, adjusters, claims examiners, team managers!
3. Bridges: we lay ourselves down like bridges over troubled waters to get our injured workers to
appropriate providers within days instead of weeks even when they’re not taking new patients,
back to work modified duty when their restrictions would prevent anyone else from even being
in the vicinity of a workplace, and back to society and their communities to enjoy life again!
4. Multi-taskers: we eat, drink, type our notes and reports, talk on the phone to injured workers
and doctors’ offices, organize our desks, pet our dog, and answer our spouse’s questions about
the weekend all at the same time!
Case Managers Are…Strength, intelligence, and sheer determination combined with creative thinking
Strength, intelligence, and sheer determination combined with creative thinking and sprinkled with empathy. These are some of the most admirable traits of Marvels’ famous “Avengers.” Comprised of those with sketchy criminal backgrounds combined with physical size and physical ability extremes, they work together to battle an unjust system to promote peace.
However other, less famous professionals work together to battle a fragmented system embracing special populations with similar physical extremes. These compassionate professionals creatively plan for those with similar interpersonal challenges. Those superheroes call themselves another name; those superheroes call themselves case managers.
While superheroes are born of untimely misfortunes and accidents, case managers are remarkably similar with their evolution. From childhood encounters with hospitals, to those thrust into caring for aging family members, ill pets and farm animals, their upbringing plunges them into healthcare. Others simply manifest a passion to help those in need, and become driven to find their niche in the human services industry. Their educational backgrounds vary from multiple advanced degreed social workers to similarly highly degreed registered nurses. Their individual skillsets make them creatively resourceful, highly skilled and irreplaceable. Experience is one of their most valued and hard earned assets to ensure success and longevity in the profession.
Case Managers Are…Really big strong birds that wear many hats
As a nurse case manager in the NY Workers Compensation arena, I must switch
my flight plan often.
I will be going to visit an injured worker at a MD office, and I hit NY traffic,
where I begin to sweat, hoping I make the appointment in time, and the tension of
the thought of missing the appointment, makes me grip the steering wheel so tight
that my fingers turn white. In my mind I am going 60mph. But the speedometer
says 15 mph. In this scenario I am a Peregrine falcon, as this is the fastest bird.
On another trip I will attend an injured worker’s bedside in the hospital, (over 100
miles from my office) that took a horrible fall and suffered bilateral calcaneus
fractures. He cannot go home because he will be non-weightbearing for months.
So, in I swoop to locate the best inpatient rehab facility, that is close to his home,
close to his family, negotiate a good rate for the insurance company, and make
Why Take a Prep Course Before You Sit For a Case Management Certification Examination?
Many ask, “should I take a prep course to help me pass the case management certification examination”? The answer is, that it depends. This article provides ten reasons why people take a prep course to help them prepare for their certification exam or any national examination that requires recall from various domains or practice. If these points resonate with you, check out the resources from the Case Management Institute to help you prepare as you step up to case management certification.
Salary for Case Managers in 2022
What is the Salary for Case Managers?
We are often asked about the salary for case managers. To answer this question The Case Management Society of America (CMSA) and the Case Management Institute (CMI) collaborated on a 2022 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey.
The survey results show that most case managers (62%) earn a base salary of $80,000 or more. Over a quarter of case managers (27%) earn $100,000 per year or more. 8% make $130,000 or more annual base salary while only 7% of case managers reported a salary under $60,000. In addition, 84% of case managers’ salaries were listed at or above $70,000 per year. (Cooper-Gillingham et al., 2022)
Furthermore, 65% of case managers reported an increase in their salary over the last year and 85% of case managers are satisfied with the salary they receive. (Cooper-Gillingham et al., 2022)
Jobs for Case Managers
When looking for jobs for Case Managers most people look in the obvious places, hospitals, insurance companies, and Workers’ Compensation. But while they are the most popular places for case managers to work according to the 2022 Case Management Salary and Trends Survey (Cooper-Gillingham et al., 2022) that is also where everyone else is looking. This often makes it difficult to get an interview let alone a job offer. But by thinking outside the box and looking beyond these obvious places to find case management jobs you will have a better chance of finding your dream job.
The Case Management Certification Journey
1. Examine your case management career goals.
If you are a hospital nurse case manager and want to stay at a hospital, you might want to consider the American Nurses Credentialing Center Case Management Exam or the American Case Management Examination.
If you want to explore other areas of case management and you have a variety of experience in healthcare, you can consider the Case Management Certification Exam by the Commission for Case Manager Certification. The CCMC exam is the oldest and most recognized certification exam.
If you work in managed care and want to stay in this area, think about the Managed Care Nurse Case Management Exam.
14 Tips to Maintain your Case Management Certifications
14 Tips to Maintain your Case Management Certifications
1. Take time to read all the material that comes with your new certification.
A key piece of information is the date you will renew your certification. Some certifications notify you 1 year ahead of your renewal and give an incentive to renew early. If you don’t take advantage of this, you will pay a higher renewal cost.
2. Know when your certification will expire if you don’t renew.
Some certifications renew every 5 years, and some are every 3 years. Check yours so you are clear on when you must renew.
Do I Need More Than One Case Management Certification?
So, do I Need More Than One Case Management Certification? The answer is IT DEPENDS It depends on what employers require to work at their organizations. It depends on what the state where you live requires for a nurse, social worker, or other discipline to work as a case manager.It depends on the state where the patients […]
Is Case Management a Good Career Move for Nurses in 2022?
This article compares survey results from nurses and case managers. So is Case Management a good career move for Nurses? The results show that case managers earn more than nurses, are more satisfied with their job, and the majority of case managers plan to stay with their current employer. However, case management is not the right career move for every nurse. Nurses considering case management should research the field to ensure it is the right fit for them.