Case Management vs Health Coach: How To Land A Job

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Breaking Into New Field: Case Managment

It's always hardest when initially trying to break into a new field, and it takes perseverance. You have to apply, apply, apply, and sometimes be creatively strategic.

Case managers roles typically require at least 1-2 years of solid clinical nursing experience and a BSN. Case managers must be good communicators, have good interpersonal skills, and strong organisational skills.

There are courses that teach you the regulatory requirements, the language (lingo), and much more to help you apply and interview successfully. Here's an example:

Case Management Institute: Developing the Case Management Workforce

Are such courses worth it? Probably. It can't hurt, and might help. There is a large body of knowledge specific to case management, and it shows initiative on your part to educate yourself. It may not help you land a job with an employer who is looking for an experienced applicant, but it very well may help with an employer who is open to training someone such as yourself. 

Note: Some organisations call the role Care Managers, so look for that role as well on the job boards.

Another strategy you might consider is hiring on to an insurance company or healthcare organisation you'd like to work for in a different role in order to get your foot in the door. For example, telephone triage nurse. From there you can learn about case manager openings and have insider advantage.

Key: Be sure to match the keywords from the job posting to your resume and read How to Get Past ATS Software in a Resume

Networking

There are a couple of recommended professional organisations. Consider joining the American Association of Managed Care Nurses. They also have a facebook page. Another good networking group on facebook is the Case Managers Community.

A second professional organisation to consider is the Case Management Society of America. You can look for and attend local chapter meetings.

Check out the Case Management speciality forum here on allnurses.

Health Coach vs Case Manager

While case management is a broad term with many sub-specialities, basically all case managers assess and monitor clients/populations and coordinate resources with a focus on continuity of care and cost savings. A lot of your time is spent on coordinating resources.

A health coach will often work with individual clients or small groups, providing wellness strategies, and helping clients to set goals. There's often a focus on nutrition and sometimes holistic health. For example, a healthcare organisation may hire a health coach to follow up with and coach individual employees with high-risk conditions. You would call employees on a regular basis to see how they're doing with their weight, for instance.

I would be careful about purchasing health coach training courses. Anyone can call themselves a health coach or offer training, and it's not well regulated. You could spend money and be awarded a certificate that doesn't directly help your career.

[cubrnjvm, MSN, RN]

You can start getting experience as a case manager in the home health setting. It is very rewarding and allows you to get the number of hours required to pass your certification as case manager, this is strictly required in some states (Florida for example) to be hired as a case manager in certain environments. 

https://ccmcertification.org/

[luvfall]

Thank you Nurse Beth!