This week I had the opportunity to meet a colleague for coffee whom I’ve known for 25 years. This colleague has a long history of working in the healthcare field.
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As we were talking I became aware that my colleague was under the impression that a certified case manager and a caregiver hired for pay, serve the same purpose and role in a client’s life. As we talked more, I began to wonder how many other people have this same misperception.
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In this article I will attempt to explain how the role of a certified case manager and caregiver differ, but how the two often work together for the benefit of the client.
Caregivers and Caregiving
Caregiving is a broad term that includes any actions of providing care to another person, who is in need of support and assistance, and may focus on the areas of physical, emotional, and spiritual.
It’s important to note that there is a wide spectrum of people who provide caregiving services for a person in need of support and assistance in various areas of their life such as eating, dressing, showering, toileting, meal preparation, medication compliance or transportation; to name a few.
The individuals taking on the caregiving role may include parents, adult children, other family members, friends or caregivers who have chosen caregiving as their career and receive money for their services.
Caregiver Credentials
It’s important to be aware that each state’s Department of Health has established its own guidelines and requirements for certification and licensure within their given state.
While all states require certification for nursing aides, some states also offer additional certification programs for home health aides and personal care assistants.
Nursing Aide (CNA)
In CT, in order to be certified on the Connecticut Nurse Aide Registry, an individual must have completed an approved nurse aide training program and sit for the state competency examination, within 24 months after completion of the class.
Home Health Aide (CHHA)
In CT, a home health aide must complete a minimum of 75 hours of mandatory training focusing on both theory and clinical practice.
Personal Care Assistant (CPCA)
- In CT, there are some post-secondary schools that offer Personal Care Attendant Certification training, but there is no license or certification required by the State of Connecticut at this time.
Certified Case Manager Credentials
Over the years I have encountered a wide range of people who advertise themselves as a case manager or a patient advocate, yet many of them don’t have the necessary knowledge, education, or experience to become a board certified professional in the field.
In order to become Board Certified a person must show that they have the necessary education and experience to qualify to sit for and pass a national certification examination. In order to keep their certification a case manager must then take continuing education courses each year, follow professional standards of practice, and renew their certification every five years.
Currently there are four (4) types of case manager certifications in the United States:
- Certified Case Manager (CCM)
To be eligible to sit for this exam you must have a valid health related license (e.g. RN, LPC, LCSW) + have a baccalaureate degree or master’s degree in a health related field
- Certified Social Work Case Manager (C-SWCM)
To be eligible to sit for this exam you must have a baccalaureate degree + a current state BSW-level license + at least 3 years and 4,500 hours of paid, supervised, post BSW professional experience
- Certified Advanced Social Work Case Manager (C-ASWCM)
To be eligible to sit for this exam you must have a master’s degree in social work + 20 hours of continuing education + at least 2 years (equivalent of 3,000 hours) of paid, supervised, post-MSW case management experience + a current state MSW level license
- Care Manager Certified (CMC)
To sit for this certification exam you must have a baccalaureate degree or master’s degree in a field related to care management + 2 years of paid full time experience + 50 hours of supervision per year.
How a Certified Case Manager and Caregiver May Work Together
If you think in terms of an orchestra – you see how an orchestra is composed of many different people, each having different skills and knowledge that they bring to the group. Despite the fact that each person has their own job to do, they all work together in order to accomplish the same goal of playing a combined piece of music.
In order for such a diverse group of people in the orchestra to work together, there needs to be a conductor who helps with communication, fosters team building, and supports a team of talented people to work together on a common goal; the musical piece.
In the health and mental health field when we talk about a client, we routinely find that the person has multiple needs, and as a result we need to incorporate a muti-disciplinary team to help address the client’s needs.
A certified case manager’s role is multi-faceted. After first identifying a client’s needs through a comprehensive assessment, the next step is to put a care team together. This works much in the same way as assembling an orchestra.
The care team consists of various disciplines skilled to address each specific need of client (e.g. physicians: primary care physician, cardiologist, neurologist, urologist; therapists: physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapists; counselor/therapist, or agencies providing services such as caregivers, transportation, etc.)
As with the orchestra, a key member of the care team is the conductor who is in most cases is a certified case manager. Some of the certified case manager’s duties are to:
- Serve as the point person
- Facilitate the development of a client care plan
- Ensure clear communication between all members of the team; focusing on identified client goals and objectives
- Oversee the services being provided for the client
- Provide case management, advocacy and crisis management services for the client and their family
In other words the caregiver is a key member of the orchestra, whereas the certified case manager is the one conducting the orchestra.
Our next article will focus more on the role and value of a certified case manager.
The Caregiver Resource Center
The Caregiver Resource Center assists seniors, people with special needs and their families in planning for and implementing ways to allow for the greatest degree of independence, safety and quality of life.
We are available 7 days a week by appointment, and 24/7 for emergencies. All of our services are individually designed to meet the unique needs of the client and their family.
For more information, or to request an initial consultation, please contact:
Linda Ziac, LPC, LADC, BCPC, CEAP, CCM, CDP
The Caregiver Resource Center
Greenwich, CT
203-861-9833
The information in this article is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient provider relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.
Please consult your health care provider for an appointment, before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.
To learn more about health and mental topics and to become a more educated self advocate, please subscribe to this blog or visit us at www.CaregiverResourceCenter.com
