Pursuing a Career as a Case Management Nurse
Career News June 27, 2016Becoming a case management nurse requires a lot of learning and commitment in life. However, the career is also very rewarding in terms of individual satisfaction and salary. Continue reading to learn more about the career, job details as well as the salary information for this profession.
Case Management Nurse Career Overview
Case management nurses are responsible for organizing a patient’s case from the time they are admitted up to their time of discharge from the hospital. These professionals are expected to be well versed with different procedures in a hospital in order to assist patients appropriately. A license as a registered nurse is often a compulsory requirement in this career while certification is optional.
| Education details | Associate, Diploma, or Bachelor’s degree in nursing |
| Certification/Licensure | RN licensing while certification is optional |
| Additional training | Case management nursing program |
| Estimated job growth rate | 19% |
| Average salary in 2014 | $67,490 |
Case Management Nurse Job Description
Case management nurses often work in collaboration with other hospital staff to ensure that patients are properly treated while in the hospital and to ensure that patients with long term illnesses such as cancer receives their regular treatment as required. From time to time, case management nurses are assessed by their seniors to ensure that their health care treatment methods meet the required standards. They are also required to adhere to strict ethical and legal standards as well as make important decisions in regards to care given to various patients in the hospital.
The work of a case management nurse fulfils both social and health needs of a patient. Therefore, a good nurse in this field is required to have good organization skills and the ability to come up with better ways of handling a patient’s case. They also compile and organize important data in specific cases, collaborate with fellow staff members when making crucial decisions that affect all and may act as the middle people between a patient and the hospital management, physicians or the health care institution itself.
Case management nurses also help patients and their family members with accurate healthcare details, potential referral services and advocacy support when required.
Education Qualification Details
A nursing program is often the minimum education requirement for most case management nurses. However, acquiring a license as a registered nurse is another requirement in the profession. People who wish to seek employment in the higher paying positions can consider pursuing a master’s degree where they are trained on management and supervisory roles.
Certification, which is often optional in this profession, may be offered by the Certification of Disability Management Commission or the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In some discipline relating to case management, nurses are required to seek specialized training before they can get a valid license.
Salary Details and Career Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts case management nurses under the wider category of registered nurses. They also estimated in 2014, case management nurses earned an average annual salary of $67,490 while the career growth rate was estimated to be at 19% for the next few years.
