What is a medical case manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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A medical case manager helps coordinate a patient's treatment and health care experience. The two primary pathways to this career are by becoming either a registered nurse (RN) or a social worker with an emphasis on the medical field. Upon achieving a position as a medical case manager, these professionals facilitate interactions between doctors, medical staff members, patients and insurance companies. In this way, they manage both the treatment-related and financial aspects of the patient's case. Also, they may compile data from multiple patients' cases and conduct analyses that can be used to improve services and outcomes in the future.

As a medical case manager, you might find employment in a hospital or nursing care facility or with a managed care organization or insurance company.

There are several voluntary certification options available, depending on your place of employment and level of education. For example, you can obtain the Accredited Case Manager designation through the American Case Management Association.

This field has a significant possibility for growth due to the growing emphasis on preventative and treatment healthcare. Thereby, most healthcare social workers earn a national average salary of $58,470.

ScoreMedical Case ManagerUS Average
Salary
3.3

Avg. Salary $42,432

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.1

Growth Rate 28%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 8.02%

Black or African American 11.88%

Hispanic or Latino 14.45%

Unknown 4.27%

White 60.66%

Gender

female 80.15%

male 19.85%

Age - 47
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47
Stress Level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
4.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Medical Case Manager career paths

Key steps to become a medical case manager

  1. Explore medical case manager education requirements

    Most common medical case manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    56.8 %

    Master's

    17.2 %

    Associate

    16.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific medical case manager skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Patients17.54%
    Rehabilitation8.43%
    Care Coordination7.16%
    Social Work6.16%
    Home Health5.85%
  3. Complete relevant medical case manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical case managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical case manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical case manager resumes.
  4. Gain additional medical case manager certifications

    Medical case manager certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific medical case manager certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for medical case managers include Certified Case Manager (ACM) and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

    More About Certifications
  5. Research medical case manager duties and responsibilities

    • Provide clients support with basic ADL's (shopping, payee services, budgets, managing and attending appointments).
    • Facilitate rehabilitation plans with TPA/Provider/Treatment team to provide professional case management services to catastrophically injure patients after auto injury.
    • Collaborate with inpatient medical team and case management department to promote effective discharge planning and utilization management of hospitalize patients.
    • Coordinate medical management and vocational rehabilitation.
  6. Prepare your medical case manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical case manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical case manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Medical Case Manager Resume templates

    Build a professional Medical Case Manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Medical Case Manager resume.
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    Medical Case Manager Resume
  7. Apply for medical case manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a medical case manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Medical Case Manager Job

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Average medical case manager salary

The average Medical Case Manager salary in the United States is $42,432 per year or $20 per hour. Medical case manager salaries range between $26,000 and $67,000 per year.

Average Medical Case Manager Salary
$42,432 Yearly
$20.40 hourly

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How do medical case managers rate their job?

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Medical Case Manager reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022
Pros

Helping others

Cons

Getting approval and watching families go through their proceed with difficulties


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Cons

I don’t like mostly sitting


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Helping people be successful in life.

Cons

Secondary trauma and balancing administrative work with direct services.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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