Case Management Nurse

Case management nurses care for patients who are receiving long-term treatment. A case management nurse's work focuses on fully assessing a patient's condition and needs from medical, social, and psychological perspectives, and appropriately coordinating care.

Case Management Nurse Career

To ensure that patients receive the care required, case managers coordinate with agencies to facilitate additional care that may be needed for a patient.

With additional education, case managers may be able to become case management administrators and lead case manager departments. Case management nurses also serve as liaisons between different agencies and facilities to ensure that each patient receives the necessary treatment. Matching patients with appropriate care programs requires knowledge of medical and social environments. Case managers often work with a special demographic (i.e., cancer or long-term care patients) and may be employed in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings as well as long-term care facilities or community environments.

Case Management Nurse Education

The path to becoming a case manager begins with becoming a registered nurse (RN). This may be accomplished by obtaining an associate or bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN). After completion of a nursing program, the nurse will need to successfully complete the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) then apply for licensure as a registered nurse through your state.

Some nurses pursue a Master's in Nursing Degree in case management as optional additional education, offered at a variety of schools across the country. Program curriculum typically focuses on the real-life application of case management principles with a preceptor and emphasizes the continuum of care and client advocacy.

To pursue formal case management certification, a registered nurse can work toward the Nursing Case Management Certification (CMGT-BC™) from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which requires an active RN license, the equivalent of two years full-time RN experience, 2,000 hours of case-management clinical practice within the last three years, and 30 hours of related continuing education. Exam components include content around professional foundations, care coordination, quality management, and health promotion. Alternatively, The Commission offers the board-certified case manager (CCM) credential for RNs (and other qualifying license-holders) who meet its case-management experience requirements — no prerequisite courses or programs are required for CCM eligibility.

Regardless of the certification sought, CCM certification is presented by its certifying body as adding professional value — validating expertise and signaling it to employers.