Advice on becoming a case manager

k2prairie · May 15, 2011

Thanks

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · May 15, 2011

i do not know of an official path per se. your best bet would be to look at entry level case management positions and read the job descriptions. i think what you are doing right now (obtaining a bsn and working as a nurse) is the right way to go. the only thing i would add is to talk to the hiring supervisor of case managers and let him/her know of your interest. maybe you can transfer sooner rather than later?

as for the case management certifications, i do not think that an entry level position requires the certs right away. i am told that to earn a certification in this specialty, one must work for at least 1-2 years in case management to qualify to sit for exams. similar to other areas of nursing, there is a lot to learn and there is no way a newbie will be able to learn the information without proper training and/or exposure to the material. gl!!

itk1 · May 16, 2011

I hope you can get some information on these sites... but great start is to talk to some nurses who are already doing case management in your hospital and start from that... You can gain so much knowledge from net but verify all courses before you start one and check with your board if they require specific courses and from what organizations. Wish you the BEST!

http://www.ccmcertification.org/

http://www.nursecredentialing.org/CaseMgmt-Eligibility.aspx

http://http://www.nursecredentialing.org/NurseSpecialties/CaseManagement.aspx

http://extension.ucsd.edu/programs/index.cfm?vAction=certDetail&vCertificateID=13&vStudyAreaID=12

www.ddas.vermont.gov/ddas-policies/policies-qmu/policies-qmu-documents/oaa-cfc-case-management-certification-reference-manual-and-study-guide"

k2prairie · May 16, 2011

Thank you for the great advice!

RNJen2011 · Jul 26, 2012

So thankful that I found this information on here, even though it is a year old. I have been offered a CM position with only 3 months of Medical Surgical floor experience (but I have to count nursing school too!) and wondered whether or not it was a path I should follow. I know that only I will know that answer. Prior to going to nursing school, I filed governement required healthcare reports for hospitals and health systems for 12 yrs. What I like about case management is the teamwork that is still involved and being able to review all aspects of a patient's health treatments. I still get to work with patients, and as much as I loved my patients, I soon learned in floor nursing that there isn't much time beyond the tasks.

Thanks again for the advice and links.

RNJen2011 · Jul 26, 2012

Forgot to add! UC Berkeley Extension campus has Professional Program in Health Advocacy and courses in Public Health and Health Management. They aren't on line but thought it might be useful for CMs.