College offers first bachelor’s in CM
College offers first bachelor’s in CM
Working case managers designed, teach program
The College for Lifelong Learning of the Univ-ersity of New Hampshire in Concord begins classes this month for what may well be the nation’s first bachelor’s degree in case management. Working case managers in a wide range of practice settings developed the curriculum and make up the faculty of the new bachelor’s program.
"We polled hospital administrators, nurses, and case workers in a wide range of settings from hospital- to community- to insurance company-based to find out what needs were not being met in terms of higher education in the health care field," says Mike Russell, PhD, director of academic program development for the college.
"The answer came back that the health care industry was in transition and that many people were moving from the clinical setting to community care environments. They told us that many of the educational paths available including BSN and MSW programs weren’t appropriate to this new environment," he explains. (For more information on education for case management, see story, p. 1, and list, pp. 5-6.)
Designed by working case managers
"This degree is unique because it is not based in either social work or nursing. It is open to adult learners with a health care background," says Sandra L. Lowery, BSN, CRRN, CCM, president of Consultants in Case Management intervention in Francestown, NH. "As students learn principles and processes in the classroom, they can apply them to their work setting the next day. It’s almost a day-by-day experience of taking the principles and processes of case management and applying them to the real world. It also has a broad-based approach to learning case management that focuses on fundamental concepts discussed in specific applications," adds Lowery, who will teach one of the program’s core courses.
The self-designed bachelor of science in health care case management degree is open to individuals who already may have a two-year degree and are currently working in a health and human services job. "The curriculum was designed by working case managers," Russell says. "We asked them to help us include the knowledge, skills, and competencies that are true for all practice settings from hospitals to insurance companies to community agencies."
The basic seven
Degree candidates must complete a total of 124 credits that include four core courses required for all health care programs and three specific to case management. The core courses for the case management degree are:
• emerging health care industry;
• continuous quality improvement in health care;
• behavior in organizations;
• professional development seminar;
• reimbursement in health and human services;
• introduction to human services;
• introduction to case management.
After completing the seven required core courses, students may fill out the rest of the required hours from a wide selection of case management courses. Degree candidates also must complete a senior project.
"Most of our students come into the curriculum with some college credit already under their belts," Russell says. "We expect that for most students, it will take three years to complete the degree."
Perhaps the most exciting feature of the program is that it is taught by case managers and employs adult learning methods. "The faculty all practice case management during the day and teach at night. Students practice during the day and learn at night. This is almost more of a mentoring process, and I find it very exciting," says Lowery.
The curriculum is practice-oriented and taught at night and on weekends with the help of interactive television in some cases, Russell says. "The biggest benefit of the program is that our faculty consists of practitioners. It makes the courses very pragmatic. The program provides a broad look at case managers in different settings and includes the general competencies common to all of them."
The cost of the program is $141 per credit. For more information, contact: College for Lifelong Learning, 125 N. State St., Concord, NH 03301. Telephone: (603) 228-3000, ext. 334.
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