Posted by Sue Kennedy
, DCoE RN Case Management Consultant
on September 29, 2011
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Army Sgt. Michael Anthony Mynard talks with his nurse-case manager 1st Lt. Laurie Voss at a warrior clinic. (U.S. Army photo by Kayla Overton)
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It hardly seems possible that I have been a case manager for 15 years and a nurse for longer. Someone once asked me, shortly after I left the emergency room to begin case management, if I were still a “real nurse.” I can’t repeat my initial reply here, but I did end up publishing an article in the magazine “Nursing Spectrum” that hopefully set the record straight. While I no longer do clinical nursing, I still use those essential skills as a case manager. I often also find myself having to be a disease specialist, social worker, counselor, transportation agent, negotiator, as well as insurance savvy.
It’s a whirlwind of 10- to 12-hour days for case managers to meet the needs of patients, physicians, family members, line commanders, lawyers and employers, but last week I was able to participate in a very informative webinar. The September DCoE webinar, “Case Management of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury,” highlighted the role of case managers and what it means to manage service members who’ve sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). I never thought my life path would give me an opportunity to serve the military, but I’m fortunate that it has.