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What is a Mental Health Case Manager?

Mental health case managers help patients develop coping skills and maintain a stable life. They serve as a link between patients and the medical staff. They assess patients to evaluate the state of their mental health. Furthermore, they keep patients' records based on assessments and evaluations. They also review progress notes written by other members of the team. Additionally, they develop and implement specific plans to help the patients meet to achieve a better state of mental health. Mental health case managers work in psychiatric centers, rehabilitation facilities, mental health treatment centers, hospitals, and the likes. Most mental health case managers possess a bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, counseling, or a related field. Employers require previous work experience in a similar role. Candidates must possess communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills . These professionals earn an average salary of $38,400 in a year. It is between $27,000 and $55,000.

What Does a Mental Health Case Manager Do

There are certain skills that many mental health case managers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed emotional skills, communication skills and interpersonal skills.

How To Become a Mental Health Case Manager

If you're interested in becoming a mental health case manager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 68.9% of mental health case managers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 19.1% of mental health case managers have master's degrees. Even though most mental health case managers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Mental Health Case Manager Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a mental health case manager can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as program manager, progress to a title such as service program manager and then eventually end up with the title service program manager.

Average Salary for a Mental Health Case Manager

What Am I Worth?

Roles and Types of Mental Health Case Manager

There are several types of mental health case manager , including:

Case Manager

We know what you're thinking. What kind of case are we talking here? Trial case? Case of measles? Briefcase? Well, actually a case manager is none of that. But it is someone who meets with clients to discuss their comprehensive health needs. It's not like going to the doctor's office, though. With a case manager, there's a process. This includes assessment, planning, facilitation, care coordination, evaluation and advocacy. Case managers work under the theory that everyone benefits when an individual is able to reach an optimal level of wellness and capability. So if you're ready to help everyone bring their A-game, then you should pursue a career as a case manager.

Clinical case managers work to facilitate patient care. They meet with patients to assess their health status and identify their needs. They evaluate the available treatment options and develop treatment plans for long-term progress. Asides from that, they coordinate and gauge the patient's progress. Also, they improve clinical outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, and promote cost-effectiveness. Similarly, they perform regular audits to assess progress. Furthermore, they keep track of patient records and work with physicians, social workers, families, and human services providers. To become a clinical case manager, you will need at least a bachelor's degree in psychology or social work. You must have a minimum of three years of relevant work experience. You must possess communication, analytical, interpersonal, problem-solving, and computer skills . Also, you must be able to work well with patients experiencing crises. Clinical case managers earn an average salary of $50,766 annually. This varies between $33,000 and $78,000.

Average Salary: $51,528

Social Work Case Manager

Would you like to connect people to the services that they desperately need? That's what you get to do when you work as a social work case manager. Social work case managers ensure that people do not fall through the cracks by helping them navigate a complex social service system. As a social work case manager, some of the services you can help families access include meal delivery, transportation, psychological counseling, and at-home nursing care. In this role, you'll first conduct needs assessment of clients and their families to identify the services they need. You'll then arrange, coordinate, and monitor these services. If you're hoping to become a social work case manager, you'll need a bachelor's or master's degree in social work or a closely worked field. The National Association of Social Workers offers professional certification for people who want to become case managers. If you would like to pursue this certification, you will need a bachelor's degree and at least three years of work experience as a social worker or social services professional.

Average Salary: $45,321

States With The Most Mental Health Case Manager Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active mental health case manager jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where mental health case managers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Number Of Mental Health Case Manager Jobs By State

Mental health case manager education, mental health case manager majors, mental health case manager degrees, top colleges for mental health case managers, 1. california state university - long beach.

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

3. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

9. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

Top Skills For a Mental Health Case Manager

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 15.0% of mental health case managers listed mental health on their resume, but soft skills such as emotional skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Mental Health Case Manager Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Mental Health Case Manager templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Mental Health Case Manager resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Mental Health Case Manager diversity

Mental health case manager gender distribution.

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

Online Courses For Mental Health Case Manager That You May Like

1. The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness

Learn how social factors promote mental health, influence the onset and course of mental illness, and affect how mental illnesses are diagnosed and treated. This course explores how our understanding of mental health and illness has been influenced by social attitudes and social developments in North America and around the world. The course begins by situating our contemporary mental health practices in historical context, then looks at different aspects of mental health, mental illness and...

2. Positive Psychiatry and Mental Health

In today’s world, mental illness and distress are common and these account for a significant burden of disability within our community. At the same time, there is a growing interest in understanding and enhancing positive mental health and wellbeing; particularly from developments in the fields of positive psychology and mental health promotion. Positive Psychiatry is a new term (Jeste et al 2016) that describes a dual approach to mental health, where we build strengths, supports and healthy...

3. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...

Best States For a Mental Health Case Manager

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a mental health case manager. The best states for people in this position are California, New York, New Jersey, and Washington. Mental health case managers make the most in California with an average salary of $67,801. Whereas in New York and New Jersey, they would average $61,104 and $60,158, respectively. While mental health case managers would only make an average of $55,930 in Washington, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. California

Avg. Salary

How Do Mental Health Case Managers Rate Their Jobs?

Top mental health case manager employers, most common employers for mental health case manager, mental health case manager videos.

Mental Health Case Manager Related Careers

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What Similar Roles Do

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What Is A Case Manager?

Definition of case management.

Case managers are healthcare professionals who serve as patient advocates to support, guide and coordinate care for patients, families and caregivers as they navigate their health and wellness journeys.

Philosophy of Case Management

The underlying premise of case management is based in the fact that when an individual reaches the optimum level of wellness and functional capability, everyone benefits: the individuals being served, their support systems, the health care delivery systems and the various reimbursement sources.

Case management serves as a means for achieving client wellness and autonomy through advocacy, communication, education, identification of service resources and service facilitation. The case manager helps identify appropriate providers and facilities throughout the continuum of services, while ensuring that available resources are being used in a timely and cost-effective manner in order to obtain optimum value for both the client and the reimbursement source. Case management services are best offered in a climate that allows direct communication between the case manager, the client, and appropriate service personnel, in order to optimize the outcome for all concerned.

Certification determines that the case manager possesses the education, skills and experience required to render appropriate services based on sound principles of practice.

Case Management Society of America 5034A Thoroughbred Lane Brentwood, TN 37027

What Is a Medical Case Manager?

Specialized Social Work Careers

The job requirements for a transplant social worker, what is the average salary of a scheduler in a nursing home.

Medical case management involves working with healthcare professionals and others in the community to assess patients' health and oversee plans to manage their conditions and progress. Duties can include planning how to successfully place or discharge patients, along with performing frequent reviews of their cases. Registered nurses and licensed medical social workers often fill the role and may work in a variety of clinical and community settings.

Medical Case Manager Job Description

According to Davenport University , a medical case manager can work in many settings such as a hospital, doctor's office, human service organization or even independently for multiple places. In any setting, they'll assess how their patients are doing and work with others on appropriate treatment or placement. This requires a lot of coordination in the community, and case managers must continually monitor patients' health changes so that they can make adjustments to give them the best outcomes.

A job posting at Mount Sinai, for example, mentions that medical case managers can help determine how long a patient must stay as an inpatient before moving to an outpatient or home health care basis. They may also suggest ways to improve the quality of healthcare, follow up on treatments, counsel family members and work with insurers for payment.

Medical Case Manager Education Requirements

Educational requirements for medical case managers vary by position, but clinical licensure and certification are common. For example, Mount Sinai asks for a nursing bachelor's degree and licensure along with the Certified Case Manager (CCM) credential from the Commission for Case Manager Certification. In contrast, Premera Blue Cross accepts licensed nurses as well as those with credentials in therapy and social work but also asks for the CCM credential.

Employers look for hands-on patient care experience for this role. They also prefer prior case management experience.

Medical Case Manager Industry

Medical case manager jobs offer flexibility in where you work, and you can even find virtual positions overseeing patients. In any case, you can expect to spend significant time interacting with others and completing paperwork to document cases, make reports and communicate plans and requests. Those who work independently for multiple facilities can expect to travel and may work on call.

Medical case managers may work in full-time, part-time and per diem roles. This variety offers flexibility for those who prefer a steady job at a single facility as well as for those who want to work at different places a few days a week.

Medical Case Manager Salary

Although the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't report salary data specifically for medical case manager jobs, it does note that the median wage for registered nurses in May 2019 was $73,300 , with the lowest earners making under $52,080 and the highest earners getting over $111,220 . Other BLS data showed that healthcare social workers had a lower median wage of $56,750 , with the lowest earners receiving under $35,000 and the highest earners making over $86,130 .

The salary site PayScale listed medical case management salary data based on self-reported figures from 333 professionals in July 2020. It put the median wage at $48,303 and showed most salaries ranging between $35,000 and $77,000 .

Years of Experience

PayScale showed in July 2020 that medical case manager jobs came with steady salary increases over time, with the biggest increase at 20 years of experience. The average salaries generated from the self-reported data looked like this:

Medical Case Manager Growth Trend

The BLS expects very good job growth and prospects for registered nurses and medical social workers between 2018 and 2028. Both occupations will see growth due to more older people needing healthcare planning and management. While the typical job growth across all occupations is 5 percent, the BLS expects 17 percent growth for medical social workers and 12 percent growth for registered nurses.

Having case management certification and several years of clinical experience can help your job prospects. Some employers prefer to see a master's degree as well.

Ashley Donohoe started writing professionally in 2010 about career, business and technology topics. She has a Master of Business Administration degree from Western Governors University along with eight years of experience managing all aspects of her small business. Some other places where her business writing appears include JobHero, LoveToKnow, PocketSense, Bizfluent and Study.com.

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What does a Nurse Case Manager do?

A nurse case manager is a licensed nurse who coordinates patient care in a specific setting in order to provide optimal treatment. These managers work in a variety of fields with different specializations. The most common type of job position in this field is in a hospital or other general medical care facility. Other case managers work in retirement homes, rehabilitation centers, insurance companies, government agencies or hospices.

There are many specialties on which a nurse case manager can focus educationally and career-wise. For example, cancer patients have a specific set of needs that differ from those patients who might be suffering from Alzheimer's or those recovering from a major surgery. For this reason, nurses in the case management arena generally focus continuing education studies accordingly in order to provide the best care to those they serve. Examples of focused areas of care include surgical care, cancer treatment, AIDS, geriatrics, pediatrics, burn care, wound care and hospice care.

Common tasks assigned to a case management nurse differ with each field of specialty. In a hospital, a nurse case manager is in charge of coordinating care plans and health services upon discharge from the hospital. Generally, he or she must also act as an advocate for the patient with insurance companies in order to ensure home health care, medical equipment and rehabilitation services are covered after discharge. The case manager also helps insurance adjusters understand care provided and the necessity of it in order to ensure that the facility is reimbursed properly. Many times, these managers must also help family members, friends or other members of a patient's support system understand a condition, diagnosis, need or procedure.

Case managers who work for insurance companies or government agencies might have somewhat varying duties. Although these nurses must also work to ensure that patients receive proper care and that appropriate reimbursement is made for that care, they also have to watch for fraud. An insurance industry nurse case manager must ensure that the care provided is appropriate, approved and properly billed. Insurance fraud is not uncommon, even by hospitals and other reputable health care facilities. Worker's compensation case managers must ensure that patients receive appropriate care but also ensure that they are not faking the injury or illness that they claim occurred as a result of work.

Home health case workers and hospice workers have a unique type of case management with which to contend. They often act as the eyes and ears for the doctor, and as such, they must provide detailed, accurate assessments. From these assessments, the nurse case manager and the doctors will coordinate, plan and implement a care plan. This care plan often involves family members or friends, so a case manager must act as a teacher in this regard as well.

No matter the specialty of the nurse, working in the case management field requires specialized education and skills. Critical thinking, assessment and communication are crucial skills to ensure successful interaction and coordination between doctors, patients, family members and the case manager. Dedication to the patient, education and the employer also are key attributes for a nurse case manager to possess.

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What Is A Case Manager
Case Management Society of America. Terms of Use | Privacy Statement | Social Media Policy
What is A Mental Health Case Manager?
Mental health case managers help patients develop coping skills and maintain a stable life. Mental health case managers work in psychiatric centers, rehabilitation facilities, mental health treatment centers
What does a Case Manager do? (with pictures)
Generally speaking, a case manager listens to the client's story, plans for the future, provides choices, narrows down possibilities to come to a decision, does research, helps with paperwork
What does a Case Manager do
Case managers are often responsible for the entire care cycle and are tasked with educating the patient on their options. Case managers will use effective communication skills to gather information in the form
What does a Nurse Case Manager do? (with pictures)
Other case managers work in retirement homes, rehabilitation centers, insurance companies, government agencies or hospices. There are many specialties on which a nurse case manager can focus educationally and career-wise