Dissatisfied with nursing, would CM vs UR be a better fit?

psalm, RN · Nov 27, 2005

...have you thought of psych nursing? You would have a chance to do "management" skills as you work with your patients on theraputic care plans. The milieu can be a great place for someone with your talents and you may find your niche.

CanopyCindy · Dec 10, 2005

kc....personally, I don't think with less than 1 yr floor experience anyone would hire you for CM. A lot of the job is instinct, based on clinical experience. I don't mean to discourage you.....but CM doesn't seem to be a viable option at this time. Most want CM experience, and it's usually 1-2 yrs that they want. If you don't have that, they'd want a good, solid nursing work history.

Good luck with your search! Let us know what happens.

Cindy

Curious1alwys, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2005

No real help for ya.........I'm just a student....but I am curious. If nursing was not on your MBTI results, what was???? Interested cuz I am going thru the same thing but I am still in school. My MBTI doesn't match either, only with "Nursing Administrator" but I did not plan to get an advanced degree... :rolleyes:

sweetie01 · Jan 11, 2006

I know the job description does not list the hiring managers name, but I would call HR and ask or call the switchboard and ask to speak to the CM supervisor/director or whomever you can get a hold of. Or you could just ask one of the CM's you probably see every day on the floor. Talk to them, get more info, see what they think.

I've applied for plenty of jobs and gotten them without having all the specified requirements. Some hiring managers go strictly by the posted job posting, but many don't. I'd talk to the manager to get a feel for what they are looking for before I put a transfer request in. That way your not rocking the boat and then find out CM would never hire you in the first place. All they can say is no. If they tell you to try in a year and you apply then, at least they will remember you and know you are eager, persistent, and motivated. Good luck! Sweetie01

Karen_tn_37211 · Jan 13, 2006

kc....personally, I don't think with less than 1 yr floor experience anyone would hire you for CM. A lot of the job is instinct, based on clinical experience

Not true. I got a case management job with less than 6 months experience. It's about who you know.....

catlover314 · Jan 13, 2006

To be most effective as a CM (think "pt advocate", "pt navigator", etc) really requires solid clinical experience. I don't see a way to substitute non-clinical exp for clinical. However, that background may be helpful in other ways.

UR in a nutshell is "Does the pt need to be in the hospital, and if so what level of care is needed?" Hospitals sometimes clump UR in with CM, so that might explain why you may don't see "UR" openings listed.

CrayZnurse · Feb 16, 2006

KC,

While it is true that most positions for cm/ur require at least a years experience, there are other related jobs to look into... at least until you gain more experience.

Some larger hospitals have a precert department in addition to the cm/ur department. They are responsible for obtaining precert for surgeries, etc w/ the insurance company. I'm not sure where you live, but if you have some large hospitals near you, check out their website. You could also look into being the precert nurse for a doctors office. However, most offices don't use nurses because it costs them too much money. The one's that do are your larger, more prominent practices.

If you want to check out insurance companies,check for listings for inpt case management or precert/prior auth dept. Essentially what you're doing is reviewing for medical necessity. You have to review by specific guidelines, not just clinical experience. They also have complex case management, but you will definitely need some type of cm experience before doing that.

Hope this helps. Good luck!