Critical Path Network
Week is an opportunity to recognize your staff
National Case Management Week, Oct. 8-14, 2006, is a great opportunity to make sure that the case managers on your staff feel appreciated and that their contributions are recognized by the entire hospital, suggests Connie Commander, RN, CCM, ABDA, CPUR, owner and president of Commander's Premier Consulting Corp and national president of the Case Management Society of America.
"It's up to the director of the case management department to speak up and see that the case managers get the recognition they deserve. They should talk to the hospital administration and make sure that the case management department is recognized for its contribution to the hospital," she adds.
At many hospitals, case managers get lumped into National Nurses Week because they are a smaller department, but they also need some recognition of their own, points out Catherine Mullahy, RN, BS, CRRN, CCM, president of Options Unlimited, a Huntington, NY-based case management company and a former president of CMSA.
"Case managers should be included in hospital presentations, such as Nurse of the Month. But in addition, hospitals should put case managers in the spotlight so that everyone in the hospital is aware of what we do and the contributions we make to the hospital," she says.
Case managers often assume that other people on the hospital staff understand their role, and if they don't understand correctly, they don't always bother to set them straight, Mullahy says.
Case Management Week is the perfect opportunity to educate everyone in the hospital about the role of case managers and their contributions, she adds.
"Like anything else, recognition for case managers is a shared responsibility. The employers have the responsibility, but the case managers have the responsibility, too," she says.
Talk to the hospital administration about National Case Management Week and make sure they understand what case managers do and how valuable they are to the hospital, Commander suggests.
"Case managers are not just about decreasing length of stay. They are an invaluable part of the treatment team, but they're not going to be recognized by being a little voice in a big hospital. They need to find a champion in the administration," she says.
Put posters up in the cafeteria where everyone can see them.
"This makes the consumers as well as the staff aware of case managers and what they do," Commander says.
Commander tells of one hospital case management department that hosted an ice cream social and poster presentation to kick off National Case Management Week.
The hospital staff enjoyed ice cream and had an opportunity to learn what case management could do for them, she adds.
Commander suggests asking the administration to host a luncheon for case managers and present the case managers with a pin or a certificate.
"What case managers want is to be recognized. They want a certificate and a pat on the back that shows that their boss's boss appreciates what they are doing," she says.
National Case Management Week, Oct. 8-14, 2006, is a great opportunity to make sure that the case managers on your staff feel appreciated and that their contributions are recognized by the entire hospital.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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