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

[dulcet]

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.

[dulcet]

I liked your description of patient advocate because I feel like a lot of times many patients get lost or neglected in the system. Especially mental health which I feel at times isn't take seriously. How long does it take to become a case manager after you get your rn license?

[dulcet]

that sounds really nice! Someone I know is developmentally disabled so I have a particular soft spot for that.

[msladynurse4life, BSN, RN]

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.[/quote']

Yes, I agree. I enjoy being a case manager, but I often get frustrated with the way the system works. You try to be an advocate for the patient and provide them with the best discharge disposition, but often the healthcare payers dictate the patient's discharge plan and reimbursement. Sometimes it conflicts what seems best for the patient and you're often fighting the system to advocate what's best for the patient. It is stressful, but it's a different kind of stress compared to working on the floor. I have worked as a staff nurse on a med/surg floor for about 9 yrs and find this job to be just as challenging, but just as rewarding as well.