WC Case manager

Well put!

Have worked with travelers adjusters and MCMs a lot. They all pretty nice. You shouldn't have a difficult time fitting in. They're a big company and use a lot of case management vendors for their field work

You will usually be responsible for working with a lot of adjusters. You need to think outside the box. Go further than what you just see but look into the future for possibilities of what could happen or what could be needed. Always anticipate.

With the CCM you will have more choices. If you want to be totally at home you might look at telephonic positions with insurance companies. If you want to get out dome then opt for field case management. I doubt the CHPN will help unless you want to go back to hospice. I had CHPN but let it go when I got CCM. Don't want to go back to hospice.

There really aren't any specific books for WC. This is a "hands on" learning and no amount of books will prepare you. Just don't wear your "feelings on your sleeve". It can be really tough. But don't let that scare you. There are some good patients out there that will appreciate your help Although you will be accused of "spying for the ins company" by some. Good luck

Yep I have. Personal reasons for leaving. But get prepared to really work....all the time. They expect it

I agree. Any new job is like that. It gets easier the longer you do it. And I never quit learning. Every day. Never quit seeking new information or ways to interpret it. I can look at things now and see a whole new side to it. I am constantly amazed

I have learned throughout the years of doing this that I have one motto. "I do what is right". We can be put between the IW and the insurer. And I have learned to do the right thing. It always works. Yes there are those that do not want to return to work. And we do what we can to assist in their recovery. And at times the insurer wants to find any reason to deny treatment. But if you know what is right and strive to do that, you will sleep well at night.

If you look at how many people work for Genex, this is a small amount. Look at reviews for other companies. It's the same. Don't let a few disgruntled former employees get in the way of an opportunity. I've worked for Genex for 4 years and love my job. Sure it's hard but what isn't. The more you do it the better you will like it.

Go GrnTea! You are exactly on!

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.

If you get CM experience in home health or hospice that would work for most companies wanting CM experience. What they are looking for is your ability to be self motivated and get the job done without someone managing what you do. I work in workers comp and had hospice experience previously. But all arenas are different. Whether you do telephonic work or field work you have to be able to get the job done on your own. And most companies want you to be able to sit for CCM fairly soon. The only way to be able to do that is have 2 years experience in CM or one year being supervised by a CCM. Hospice and home health are usually a lot easier to start than insurance.

i agree. You can study the study guides and buy the CDs with 1200 questions and learn a lot. I also did online CM courses that helped. But they were not that e pensive.

I work in workers comp and had previous experience in hospice. They are so very different. Work comp is more demanding and you provide coordination of care and services for the injured worker. You also go to appts with the IW, arrange for PT, and deal with the docs and adjusters. Having hospice experience qualified me to sit for CCM and RN-BC.. Field experience in HH and hospice prepare you to work autonomously and to get the job done. I love WC but it can be all encompassing. I work way too many hours and it sometimes is really consuming. The only way to get into WC is to put forth all effort, do what you need to do and eventually get certified. That helps tremendously. Some companies like to hire nurses without other comp experience.

UT Tyler looks at many things when considering you for the program. Having all your prerequisites are a must, but having other classes required really helps. From what I have heard and seen, the clinicals are still better at UT Tyler than at other schools. There is so much competition at the hospitals for students, it has been getting harder for the students to get clinical experience. UT is a really good school, I would recommend it. Good luck!!!!

I work at MTC in East Texas. It is a private prison, but is a treatment center as well. We have DWI, SAFPF, and ISF offenders. The company I work for is PNA, and we have about 26 facilities in Texas, new mexico, and Arizona. PNA is a wonderful company.....they are so supportive. I am the HSA of the medical unit at the facility, and we are getting so big.....we have gone from 323 offenders in March to over 1200 now (may) and are expecting 500+ more in the next couple of months. So, it is sometimes really stressful. We are not as big as UTMB, but that is good. Everyone is treated as an individual and we work well together.

I'm a DON in an Intermediate Correctional Facility, so maybe my problems are quite the same as yours, but they sure seem to be. I am have been in this position for a short time, and before I came, it was a mess. I am still trying to get my staff up to par, and have hired a lot of new people, but you know how it is......background checks, fingerprints, and Correctional Awareness training for a week. So, even when I hire someone, it takes 3-4 weeks at least for the to begin training on the unit. My biggest problem is with Grievance Reports from offenders who have nothing better to do than find something to "grieve" about. The grievances are ridiculous for the most part, and at the end of the day, they are still going to find something else to find fault with. One of the biggest problems I have is offenders that place SCRs and then refuse. Is there not a way to remedy this? Most of the time they just don't want to get up and out of bed in the morning. The work is frustrating, but I do have a great bunch of people, and they really know what they are doing. I think it's just going to take longer for me to get everything the way I want it. We have in the next few months 1100 more offenders coming into the facility, and I dread the day. New dorms have been built, and we are just waiting for the new chain-ins. By the way, I am also HSA as well as DON.

I have met nicer nurses working in corrections than anywhere else. After being in the ER, some of the ER nurses think they are so good, and they are, but the attitudes are really bad sometimes. I've got a great group of nurses to work with, we all help each other out, watch each other's backs, and get along great. You can meet nice people anywhere, but in corrections, you really have to be a special kind of nurse.....non judgmental, have a lot of knowledge, be autonomous.....etc. So, go for what you like to do......I can say, ER nursing was really exciting, but really tiring, corrections is dealing also with a lot of different people, and you do have to watch out for the con artists......they will try to get ANYTHING from you......

I also was an ER nurse at a Level One Trauma Center, and am now DON in the medical unit of an intermediate sanction facility. The offenders at this facility are parole violators or waiting for SAFPF. I love the job!!!! We have 2 officers on the unit with us at all times there are offenders in medical. Very rarely have I even had to get very tough, as the offenders have been very polite. Also, when walking the halls and passig offenders going to lunch, they walk against the wall and have learned to stop should I need to go in front of them to get the door of the unit. Our guards are wonderful, and we all have been trained in security management to keep ourselves safe and each other safe. So, if you are interested in having a job that offers a lot of autonomy and you have good knowledge of meds and "every day" medical problems, I would say try it. ER work was wonderful, but I have never seen in the prison the kind of problems I saw in the ER.