What is a clinical case manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Dr. Javier Casado Pérez Ph.D.,

Sabrina Sullenberger Ph.D.

A clinical case manager works in the healthcare industry to support patients. They coordinate care, ensuring patients receive appropriate treatment and helping them navigate the healthcare system. Clinical case managers work with patients, their families, and healthcare providers to develop care plans and monitor progress. They may also provide education and counseling to help patients manage conditions and improve overall outcomes. A clinical case manager aims to improve patient outcomes by providing comprehensive care.

What general advice would you give to a Clinical Case Manager?

Dr. Javier Casado Pérez Ph.D.

Counselor Education, Portland State University

New professionals entering the mental health counseling professions must expect substantive differences in the client's needs and goals for the counseling process. The global pandemic has increased both stress and social isolation, making the counselor's job even more critical, as they are often the client's only non-work-related virtual interaction. With the global pandemic and widespread anti-racist demonstrations, counselors should anticipate clients' desire to discuss work stress and burnout, parenting and caretaker stress, culture, identity development, and racial trauma, virtual fatigue, and difficulties in social relationships.

ScoreClinical Case ManagerUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,528

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.3

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 3.12%

Black or African American 7.90%

Hispanic or Latino 7.90%

Unknown 6.24%

White 74.22%

Gender

female 79.51%

male 20.49%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress Level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.5

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Clinical Case Manager?

Pros

Variety of tasks and responsibilities
Collaborative work with interdisciplinary teams
Job security and growth opportunities
Competitive salary and benefits
Flexibility in work schedule and location

Cons

Heavy workload and long hours
Exposure to traumatic events and emotionally challenging situations
Complex documentation requirements
Inadequate compensation for the level of responsibility and stress
Difficulty maintaining work-life balance

Newest jobs for Clinical Case Manager in Ashburn, VA

Receive alerts for the newest job postings.

Key steps to become a clinical case manager

Explore clinical case manager education requirements

Most common clinical case manager degrees

Bachelor's

54.7 %

Master's

29.3 %

Associate

12.9 %

Start to develop specific clinical case manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	17.68%
Patients	9.73%
Rehabilitation	5.52%
Community Resources	5.49%
Discharge Planning	5.25%

Complete relevant clinical case manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical 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 clinical case manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical case manager resumes.

Research clinical case manager duties and responsibilities

Manage apartment project for SPMI adults and provide case management support to those tenants.
Plan and manage multiple assignments efficiently and effectively on a daily basis, process payments for patients and handle daily correspondence.
Conduct clinical reviews and provide authorization of mental health services for Medicaid recipients.
Provide a safe work environment following OSHA standards.

Prepare your clinical case manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical 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 clinical 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 Clinical Case Manager Resume templates

Build a professional Clinical 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 Clinical Case Manager resume.

Apply for clinical case manager jobs

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

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

How do clinical case managers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Clinical Case Manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2024

Cons

Stressful, dangerous neighborhoods, sometimes parents are dangerous as well. Work life balance isn't good. Documentation is very time consuming and you will bring that home to finish. If your agency requires that you do your app recorded time sheets then that will prove ardously time consuming constaint that cuts right into your work/home life balance...it's terrible. Wear and tear on your car, no shows from parents upsetting children and paid mileage is horrible. Get ready to barely have a life.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022

Pros

Helping others