I talked to a friend over the weekend who has just started a new job as an ED case manager at a large hospital. She is a seasoned healthcare professional who has been in the field of case management for a few years. She chose to change hospitals because her former place of employment was not stable, people were overworked and there was little job satisfaction. The new hospital has a well staffed case management department which is made up of nurses and social workers who work well together to meet the needs of its multicultural clientele. On first impression, my friend feels that the hospital is well organized and case managers are recognized as valued members of the team.

As we talked about her new role, I asked her what she felt would help make her successful in her new position. She said the key factor would be a well planned orientation to assist her in learning the culture of the organization, her role in her department, and becoming familiar and comfortable with the tools available to help her perform that role. She felt that it was important to have a dedicated staff responsible to see that the orientation progresses on schedule and to answer questions during the process. She also said having the time to adjust to the new role before being ‘thrown into the fire’ is important. Lastly, she said having someone who is part of the department to mentor her and ’show her the ropes’ will help with a successful transition.

In order for the practice of case management to grow, it’s important that organizations recruit and retain qualified staff. Having a successful orientation program to welcome new employees into your department is key to helping new staff fit in. Take some time to review your orientation plan to make sure it is organized and on target.

On another note, I wanted to let you all know that I recently attended the Geriatric Care Management Organization Annual Conference in Boston. The meeting was well attended by over 200 geriatric care managers who came together to network and learn. I am in the process of writing up an overview of the meeting and will alert you when it has been posted to the site. I would like to thank the Geriatric Care Management Organization for a warm welcome and an eye-opening experience to a practice whose time has truly come. Geriatric care managers have pioneered the road of working effectively working with the consumer, something that many case managers have tried to figure out for years. If you would like to learn about this organization, check out their web site.

Have a good week!

Anne Llewellyn, RN-BC, MS, BHSA, CCM, CRRN
Editor-in-Chief of Across My Desk, Case in Point magazine, and the Case Management Resource Guide
allewellyn@dorlandhealth.com