Case Manager Jobs - Top 10 Skills Needed to be a Case Manager

Case manager jobs are essential in a variety of industries to make sure that the provisions of the services meet the policy requirements and standards. Insurance companies have insurance case manager jobs to deal with individuals involved and accident claims, social work case managers on the other hand oversee and investigate cases particularly those involving children, while medical case managers help patients better understand their condition and the possible medical treatments available for them.

Case managers facilitate case coordination and information with case workers and maintain case records to ensure that they are in order. They also work with affiliated agencies like counselors or insurance agencies to act as advocates between service recipients and the agencies to ensure that the delivery of services meets the policy requirements and standardization. To qualify for case manager jobs you must have a bachelor's or Master's degree in healthcare, social work, or any related field although an associate degree might be acceptable in some instances and licensed nurses may be considered; experience in human resources, criminal justice health care or insurance may be required, and licenses, certifications, and registrations must be maintained once employed. The salary range differs from industry to industry, as do individual responsibilities, but they generally earn about $57,000 to $68,000 but after bonuses, benefits, and time off, it comes to approximately $86,000 per year.

To determine whether case management careers are right for you, you have to be fully aware what the job entails. Here are the top 10 skills needed to be a case manager:

1. You should have strong interpersonal, communication and people skills to be able to write reports and speak in front of several individuals and communicate clearly.
2. Be knowledgeable in medical billing procedures and complete billing documentation
3. Ability to assess the client's mental status, monitor, record and develop individual treatment plans and goals.
4. Ability to gather data, prepare and compile reports to ensure appropriate services and client's activity tracking in relation to care plan.
5. Be able to provide emergency crisis services and make immediate clinical assessment and coordinate with other services.
6. Ability to maintain records and client files which includes safekeeping of documents.
7. Ability to participate in the patient treatment and care review with the health care providers
8. Ability to act as liaison between the patient, their family, and the healthcare personnel to ensure that the necessary care is provided effectively.
9. Must have 2-4 years of clinical experience and be familiar with the standard procedures and practices in this field and be able to use critical thinking skills to be able to make ethical decisions.
10. Ability to apply interviewing skills like active listening, open-and-closed-ended questions, supportive responses, giving options, summarizing, and identify areas for self-improvement and pursue necessary education and training.

Case managers also work with small groups dealing with substance abuse and mental health that's why they are also known as substance abuse or mental health social workers, which is why they need extensive education and training. For instance, entry level workers should at least have a bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, or even sociology. For clinical work, however, case managers should have a master's degree which typically takes two years to complete. There are about 468 bachelor degree programs and 198 master's degree programs as of 2009 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and master's degree programs require a minimum of 900 hours of supervised work or internship. Certification or licensing is available in every state and most of them require 3,000 hours of clinical experience to be able to qualify for licensure.

If you are interested in landing the case manager jobs, then you have to find your state guidelines, go through training programs, obtain supervised substance abuse hours or do volunteer work at a substance abuse agency. Try to get a provisional license after the training and apply through your state's website so that you can continue to obtain supervised training hours to qualify for a full license.

You can find more case manager jobs listings by visiting CaseManagementCrossing.com and sign up for a risk free trial today to find jobs that are just right for you!