How do I go about getting into case management as a medical surgical nurse with almost 3 years of experience?

Apply! I’m the hiring manager for case management at two hospitals and I would absolutely interview someone with three years of med surg!

Start now to prepare yourself. Look for CEUs that will show that you are committed to this new career path. There are several organizations that offer board certification in Case Management.

Ask if you can shadow your facilities CMs, it will probably have to be on your off time but it shows your strong desire to make this career move.

Other possibilities are to contact your State Board, State Nursing Association, and local nursing schools to see if they offer courses.

Good Luck....Louanne

Honestly, Med/SURG nurses make great case managers. You can try just talking to.the manager of CM at your hospital, or applying somewhere. I loved to hire Med/surg nurses. PS, do some research about it first. I always ask, what is your understanding of the job you are applying for

Best of luck, Angela

I would recommend looking to work for a Hospice company! You can get CM experience with them.

When I switch from cardiac ICU to case management the hospital I worked for trained me.

Not knowing what type of experience other than med surg, and not knowing your educational level, I would pursue a BSN if you do not have one as yet and check to see what credentials the position is requiring, i.e. case management certification.

Depends on where you want to do case management. In my opinion, working for an insurance company is the easiest way to transition from a MS nurse into a CM role (outside of directly within your organization). Some insurance companies may require CM certification but many don't and will even allow for you to take the steps necessary to become certified while working. I will say it is important to understand some of the expectations that go into becoming a CM such as understanding different types of insurance, benefits, and regulatory policies for the state.

I think you have to take a case management certification course.

At my facility, most of the RN case managers came from inpatient units. Speak to your facility’s director of case management and ask what they are looking for, then work to meet those additional skills or requirements through on-line resources. Remember everyone had a first day in a new role and nobody expects you to know everything when you start. You got this.

Home Health or Hospice, either through your current employer or with an outside agency, are usually looking for med-surge nurses with good assessment and people skills. This is a pretty simple way to get into case management.

Case Management is a specialty unto itself. I would get certified as a case manager.

Hello, three years is more than enough experience to get into case management. You can simply apply within your own organization or externally. Keep in mind, certain types of case managers such as utilization review are usually fully remote.

Hi

I did the same thing but a different capacity mind you. What you need to do is talk to the individual that works as a case manager already so you do your regular nurse job right? And then you work beside the case manager like a student would when they’re learning about nursing. Find someone who is willing to teach you about case management find somebody who has that ability to show you what needs to be done. Just because you’ve only been a nurse for three years doesn’t mean you can’t advance and go beyond what you’re capable of at this point in your nursing career. I was a MedSurg nurse and bored out of my mind and so I started to take Acls TNCC and pals to further my career. Didn’t work out the way I actually wanted it right away but when I had a crisis on my floor I was able to not only help save the patient grab the medication that was needed to try and save that life and to do my job beyond what anybody thought I was capable of and when they saw this I made my way to where I wanted to be. I’m pretty sure you could do the same thing. All the best of luck to you

Simply find a position and apply. Be sure to focus heavily on your ability to:
-communicate effectively with a multidisciplinary team
-multitask
-critically think (outside of the box)
-problem solve
-work well with others (teamwork)
Good luck!! Keep us posted😊

As a bedside nurse, we are actively using our skills and knowledge to participate in the case management aspect. We attend discharge planning meetings, are the front line advocates for our patients and likely know what they need before a case manager ever gets to evaluate them. Take these skills you have learned at the bedside and apply them to your next career move. Build up these skill in your resume and go into interviews with confidence that you have what it takes to be an amazing case manager. A bedside nurse brings a unique and valuable perspective for almost any other nursing position.

Apply to local home health agencies