Tell me honestly how you like your career as a case manager

Specialties Case Management

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I want to hear from you guys! And I think this is the perfect place to ask because I'm hoping the online anonymity will cause you guys to answer honestly. So how do you like your job as a case manager? Is it stressful? Do you think about leaving? Would you do it again? Is the workload manageable? What is the income range? Do you think you make a difference in people's lives? What do you do in an average range? How long does it take to become a nurse case manager? What path does it take to go from nurse to nurse case manager?

Okay sorry I think I've asked too many questions. Even if you could just answers one or two from the list I would really appreciate it.

I'm considering this career path but don't know who to ask and I think I could get some honest answers on here.

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I am also interested in this area of nursing. I was told you could function as a discharge coordinator, utilization review nurse, as well as a nurse case manager. I have one question though, where is the best place for a registered nurse to take this course?

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oloriire, Are you the same person who asked about what "institution" to go to to get certified in a wide variety of specialties, and got a lot of replies saying you'll never, ever, evah get to sit the specialty exams without several years in the job?

OP, CM is like pretty much any other job. Some people are very well-suited to it by virtue of being very experienced, curious, self-directed, and autonomous in addition to being flexible and tough-skinned.

Some love one specific kind of CM but loathe another.

Some love 8:30-5 in-house telephonic CM because they can walk away from it at the end of the day and never see the inside of that cubicle again until Monday morning.

Others couldn't work in a cubicle for all the tea in China, but love field case management for work comp and don't mind eating two meals a day in their cars :).

Some love specialty CM, sometimes called "disease management," in a clinical area; some live for variety.

Some like predictability and the comfort of rules about what can and cannot happen in a work situation; some like the ability to push the envelope and see what they can do to make it happen for a patient's best interest.

Some like checking boxes on forms and getting a list wrapped up by the end of the day, some like sitting at bedsides holding hands. It's all out there, depending on the job.

Suggest you go to the ANCC and look at their CM certification (RN-BC) and to the CCMC and look at the CCM. Hook up with the CMSA (Case Mgmt Society of America) local chapter and go to a few educational offerings; chat with the people who attend about what they like about their CM jobs, and (perhaps more important) what they don't like about the CM jobs they don't like. Network. Learn.

Good books: Weed and Berens 3rd Edition, Case Mgmt and Life Care Planning. Many others out there on specialty areas.

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oloriire Are you the same person who asked about what "institution" to go to to get certified in a wide variety of specialties, and got a lot of replies saying you'll never, ever, evah get to sit the specialty exams without several years in the job? OP, CM is like pretty much any other job. Some people are very well-suited to it by virtue of being very experienced, curious, self-directed, and autonomous in addition to being flexible and tough-skinned. Some love one specific kind of CM but loathe another. Some love 8:30-5 in-house telephonic CM because they can walk away from it at the end of the day and never see the inside of that cubicle again until Monday morning. Others couldn't work in a cubicle for all the tea in China, but love field case management for work comp and don't mind eating two meals a day in their cars :). Some love specialty CM, sometimes called "disease management," in a clinical area; some live for variety. Some like predictability and the comfort of rules about what can and cannot happen in a work situation; some like the ability to push the envelope and see what they can do to make it happen for a patient's best interest. Some like checking boxes on forms and getting a list wrapped up by the end of the day, some like sitting at bedsides holding hands. It's all out there, depending on the job. Suggest you go to the ANCC and look at their CM certification (RN-BC) and to the CCMC and look at the CCM. Hook up with the CMSA (Case Mgmt Society of America) local chapter and go to a few educational offerings; chat with the people who attend about what they like about their CM jobs, and (perhaps more important) what they don't like about the CM jobs they don't like. Network. Learn. Good books: Weed and Berens 3rd Edition, Case Mgmt and Life Care Planning. Many others out there on specialty areas.[/quote']

I totally agree with you. The job can be very stressful, especially with a high case load. In field work you may be responsible to 5 different people on each case. And if you have a caseload of 35-40 ......well you're looking at a lot of activity. Burnout can be high when one can't catch up and that seems like all the time. But it's a very autonomous job. You have to get the job done and there's no room for procrastination.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Psych.
I totally agree with you. The job can be very stressful especially with a high case load. In field work you may be responsible to 5 different people on each case. And if you have a caseload of 35-40 ......well you're looking at a lot of activity. Burnout can be high when one can't catch up and that seems like all the time. But it's a very autonomous job. You have to get the job done and there's no room for procrastination.[/quote']

Yes, I agree. Time management is very important as a case manager. You have a lot of autonomy, but also a greater responsibility to get the job done effectively and efficiently.

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Can you elaborate on how the job is stressful. Maybe walk me through a day in this career. I would appreciate it thanks.

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Thanks for your response. I'll be sure to check out a local chapter. You mentioned needing many years of years of experience. Can you elaborate on that? What type of experience and how do you get your foot in the door? Also how closely related is utilization review and case management? Do you feel like you make a difference or get stuck in the bureaucratic nature of it.

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Thanks for your response. I'll be sure to check out a local chapter. You mentioned needing many years of years of experience. Can you elaborate on that? What type of experience and how do you get your foot in the door? Also how closely related is utilization review and case management? Do you feel like you make a difference or get stuck in the bureaucratic nature of it.

It's hard to juggle all of the patients needs,the adjusters questions, the doctors orders, physical therapy progress and the employers determination they have a modified job for that employee within their restrictions. And that's just one patient. Now multiply that by 30. Or if you're on the road all day and you really need to come home and update all of the adjusters/employers AND chart but it's 5o'clock and you're tired! So you really have to be really organized, make yourself lots of notes and multi-task all of the time. That's really the stress. But if you love to help people and think outside the box then case management is your thing.

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I did/do case management in several settings. As with any job, sometimes there was more to do than there was time to do it, but I actually derived a lot of satisfaction out of making things happen for a lot of people.

And unlike my previous decades of critical care work (which I also loved), if something had to get left off until tomorrow, nobody died. :)

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Specializes in Med/surg tele, home health, travel.

I am not a case manager, but I currently work in home care for the Ohio Waiver Program as an Independent Provider. In fact, I have a home care client that CONSTANTLY blows up his case manager's phone for EVERYTHING. I can see it being a stressful job. Not only are you in charge of your own caseload, but you also have to oversee the nurses and aides as well as corresponding with other members of the healthcare team. I just recently had a problem with my pay check and it took forever to fix. I wasn't paid for a week of work back in August because of a glitch in the system in regards to the ASP budget. I was FINALLY compensated this week for it. It didn't just happen to me, it happened to the other aides as well and including the nurse. What a mess! I'm sure CM has it's advantages while working from home, but it seems to be a very busy area. Good luck in whatever you choose.

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I would have to say that case management has been as close to a perfect job for me as I could conceive. Yes sometimes there is too much work and it is stressful, but not that "OMG I going to kill somebody" stressful you can get doing bedside work. Since nursing school I have believed that the most important role of the nurse is to be a patient advocate. That is what CM is all about. Certainly I have found this role frustrating more often than rewarding because our healthcare system is what our patients need to be protected from; and we are employed by the system not the patient. Fortunately there finally are signs of a societal understanding of how dysfunctional our system is and there are systems being made that align the best interests of patients with the reimbursement. But we have a long way to go.

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Specializes in Case management.

I work in case management of developmentally disabled individuals Anne find it rewarding caring for de

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