Case Management Nursing Careers with BSN

Case managers coordinate patient care. They work in a wide array of patient settings. Case managers may work in an acute care setting, such as a hospital, coordinating services for a patient who needs follow up after hip surgery. Others may provide services in community settings; such as developing a comprehensive plan which enables a medically fragile child to attend public school. Case managers may provide care in a specialty area or offer general case management services.

Case managers provide patients with the best care possible while being fiscally responsible. Some case managers work with patients on a short term basis, while others coordinate services for people who have complex medical issues that require ongoing case management services for years.

Working as a case manager is very satisfying, as you a difference in patients’ lives. You coordinate the actions of a whole team of people to ensure that your patients get the very best that each discipline offers. Case managers work to empower patients by creatively developing services which are truly individualized.

Benefits of Being a Case Manager

The environment that case managers provide care in is often less hectic than other nursing environments. Many case management positions offer a Monday to Friday workweek. With experience, some case managers are eligible to apply for telecommuting positions to work from home.

Case Manager Salary

According to Payscale.com, case managers usually make between $28,000- $68,000 annually. Some make considerably more depending on total education and experience.

Case Manager Salary (United States)

Job Outlook for Case Managers

The job outlook for case management nurses is excellent. As managed care increases and health care budgets tighten, case managers are being utilized in numbers never before seen. While new graduates are not usually hired directly into case management positions, since you already have nursing experience as an LPN, you have an advantage over other new grads.

Next Steps

If you think that you would like a career as a case management nurse, it is essential that you become a registered nurse. I strongly recommend that you pursue a BSN as most case management positions require that credential.

A wide array of LPN to BSN programs are available. Decide if you will be attending school on a full or part time basis. Identify schools that offer the best education combined with reasonable financial packages.

You'll need roughly 30 hours of continuing education course credit in addition to your BSN and RN employment. If you are employed, find out if your employer offers continuing education reimbursement. Apply for other sources of funding.

The important thing is to get started. You will be rewarded well as a case management nurse. Case management is one of the most meaningful fields of nursing that you can enter.

Case Management Nurse Organizations & Related Sites

• American Case Management Association (ACMA)
• Case Management Society of America (CMSA)
• ANCC Nursing Case Management