About

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, workers’ compensation faced steep challenges in recruiting, training, developing, and retaining case managers. As an advanced practice with a diverse array of applications, case management lacks a formal, profession-wide preparation path, leading to an often smaller talent pool that relies heavily on transferable skills and ineffective training programs. Challenges related to the pandemic have only amplified these concerns, and have created new obstacles that affect both employers and case managers alike. Experienced case managers are increasingly leaving the field to retire or pursue new job opportunities, causing unprecedented difficulty in securing top case manager talent to support the needs of injured workers and facilitate their timely return to work. More than ever, employers must offer robust onboarding, training, and continuous learning opportunities to attract, recruit, develop, and ultimately retain high-performing case managers. In contrast to programs that provide minimal upfront training before sending sometimes inexperienced new hires out into the field with full caseloads, optimal training programs in workers’ compensation should set case managers up for long-term success, both personally and for the benefit of the patients they serve. Meaningful investments in employer-sponsored training can help to develop knowledgeable, loyal, and skilled case management teams that will ultimately contribute to better outcomes for injured workers. In this session, two experienced training and development leaders will explore the importance of employer-sponsored case management training in workers’ compensation across cases of all types, including the most catastrophic.

The speakers will detail the best practices that set industry-leading training programs apart from the rest - including personalized knowledge assessments and development plans, individualized onboarding support that transitions into the field, preceptor mentorship, and an ongoing commitment to professional development. The presentation will also discuss the importance of workplace culture in ensuring case managers feel fully supported, engaged, and satisfied in what can be a demanding profession.