THE CASE MANAGER’S PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY
CMSA supports the professional growth of our members and the entire case manager community throughout their career. Each destination in a case manager’s career is a critical step in their educational journey, with each step building upon the previous one, creating a pyramid of knowledge and skills to support success. CMSA is here to help at every destination and every moment in between. Enjoy your trip!
DESTINATION 1: Foundational Knowledge
The first step in a case manager’s journey is to know and understand the guidelines and expectations for patient/client advocacy and care coordination regardless of practice setting. Adoption and adaptation of the CMSA Standards of Practice for Case Management are the foundation for growth as a professional case manager and should be a requirement for all professionals new to case management or organizations interested in standardizing case management practice.
RESOURCE: CMSA Standards of Professional Case Management Practice Course: This is a 32-hour online course that examines all 15 Standards in detail and provides a professional video vignette of the Standard at each module’s conclusion.
DESTINATION 2: Proficiency and Practical Experience
Here, the novice case manager can hone their skills to become more proficient in communication and documentation; comfortable with industry standards, quality measures and reimbursement models; and grow as a professional learner to manage conflict, comfort the grieving and commit to life-long learning. Many in-demand skillsets and hands-on practical experience are not learned or available early in a case manager’s career, and there exists a need to improve practice and competence sooner than later.
RESOURCE: CM Bootcamp: This is an interactive program that uses activities similar to real life for a more genuine experience. Key topics covered include professionalism, communication, regulatory issues, reimbursement, advanced case management processes, emerging trends and finding a mentor. Release date – Fall 2021.
DESTINATION 3: Communication Skills
As part of growth and enhancement of communication skills, case managers can support their patients/clients in adhering to treatment and making different health behavior decisions by taking advantage of one in-demand skillset – motivational interviewing
RESOURCE: comMIt: Comprehensive Motivational Interviewing Training for Health Care Professionals. This is an 8-hour online course that centers around motivational interviewing, which is an evidence-based, effective method for improving adherence to health behaviors.
DESTINATION 4: Increased Skillsets
As case managers continue their journey, seeking more of the desired in-demand skillsets, information about how to better support patients can be found. Resources and best practices to support adherence, patient engagement and activation, patient-centered care, medication financial resources and assessment of SDoH are necessary.
RESOURCE: Case Management Adherence Guide 2020: This adherence guide will be published with a companion webinar series. Release date – Late Summer 2021.
DESTINATION 5: Advanced Skillsets
At this point in the journey, case managers have experience and feel reasonably confident in their abilities, but there is always more to learn. And there are those patients/clients who challenge our abilities. They have multiple comorbid conditions, social challenges and perhaps behavioral conditions. They are in and out of the hospital and emergency department. The case manager is in need of enhanced engagement and retention strategies to improve the most complex and vulnerable adult and pediatric populations. This destination provides the confidence and skills needed as the primary case manager for an individual, to address all their conditions, and coordinate all of their needs without any hand-offs to another professional.
RESOURCE: Integrated Case Management Training Program: This course provides advanced skills in risk assessment, targeted care planning, and engagement and retention strategies. ICM is a 30-hour course of online and instructor-led training.
