Education · 1 of 4

The path

There is no single route. Nursing, social work and human services all feed into the same job title.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Psychology, biology and English. Volunteer somewhere that puts you in a room with people who are having a bad week.

2. 2

   Two-year or four-year degree

   2 to 4 years

   An associate degree gets you in as a case aide. A bachelor's in social work, nursing, psychology or human services gets you a caseload of your own.

3. 3

   First job

   1 to 2 years

   Care coordinator, county caseworker, housing case manager or discharge planning assistant. You learn the systems by fighting with them.

4. 4

   Supervised case management experience

   12 to 24 months

   Certification bodies generally want at least a year of supervised, full-time case management work before they will let you sit an exam.

5. 5

   Certified Case Manager

   After the experience

   The board certification from the Commission for Case Manager Certification. Most hospital and insurance postings ask for it or expect it within two years.