Get ready. Get set. Go for it: Paying forward the value of certification

Get ready. Get set. Go for it: Paying forward the value of certification
CCMs believe in themselves, their certification and their colleagues. 

Something happened last month that drove this home for me. A newly minted CCM approached our booth at the New World Symposium. She wanted to do more than just say hello. “I have all these great test prep materials. Is there a way to share? How can I give them to someone who’s preparing for the exam?”

It was such a generous gesture, and at the same time so characteristic of the CCMs I know. After all, 94 percent of CCMs have recommended board certification to others.  I know that many of them, like my new friend, also offer a helping hand. That’s because CCMs, perhaps more than anyone else, understand the value of professional certification and earning the CCM credential. But it’s not just us.

Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed growing appreciation for board certification, especially from employers. They don’t merely prefer case managers who are board certified; increasingly, they require them: 50 percent of employers require the CCM,  and 62 percent pay for the exam. 

None of this happens in a vacuum: New models of care delivery emphasize care coordination, team-based care and other case management roles. That’s only part of the picture, though. It ultimately comes down to the clients’ needs: I am convinced the pace and direction of population growth will heighten the need for case managers who are prepared to inform, support and engage. We know:
• Baby Boomers are aging.
• More people are on the move, making care coordination more difficult.
• As a nation, we’re more ethnically, racially and culturally diverse.

Professional case managers can enhance the ability of their teams—even their organizations—to deliver culturally competent care to individuals of all ages. Health systems need professionals who can engage with patients, meet them where they are and help them navigate an increasingly complex system. It’s no surprise that the latest trends survey finds more than 90 percent of board-certified case managers coordinate care as part of their job. It’s necessary, it’s difficult, and it requires expertise. A CCM possesses that necessary expertise.

At the Commission, we’re working to ensure the professional case manager’s role is acknowledged as essential to the delivery of quality, cost-effective and efficient care. One of my personal goals is to increase the number of talented people choosing case management as a profession, and who seek certification as a differentiator.

I cannot do it alone. Now is the time to advocate for your profession—and for your colleagues.

You’ve earned your CCM. Now look around and ask yourself: Who is the potential board-certified case manager within my sphere of influence? Take them out for coffee. Talk about how important the credential has been to your career. What can you do to help them get ready, get set, and go for it? Your words may be just what they need to take that next step. The result? A better case manager and a better you.

Watch this short video to learn how to get ready and get certified!