Many case managers took time from busy work and personal schedules to attend the National Case Management Network's (NCMN's) Fourth Annual Conference, Soaring to New Heights in Case Management, September 19 and 20, 2010, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Their objective was to connect, collaborate, and communicate the value of case management with colleagues and old friends-and to make new ones, too.
The 2010 NCMN conference was critical to the future of case management practice in Canada as delegates began the process of determining a framework for, and the purpose of, national core case management competencies. The goal of the NCMN Competency Profile and Assessment Project is in unifying case management providers into a collaborative body to provide a uniform knowledge base and best practices in Canada's case management community. Developing the competency profile is the last of the four NCMN objectives to be met with funding from Health Canada's Health Care Policy Contribution Program.
International delegate Bettina Otterstedt, a case manager from Bremen, Germany, spent a month observing case management at St. Michael's Hospital with NCMN President, Joan Park, MScN, RN. Upon her return to Germany, she wrote a synopsis of the NCMN conference for the German Society for Care and Case Management.
NCMN's 2010 conference sessions are posted and downloadable at http://www.ncmn.ca along with photo highlights from the event. You will also find an audio presentation with slides of a cutting-edge presentation on smart drugs by Dr. Raymond Rupert, MD, MBA. There is also a downloadable book for purchase by keynote speaker Stuart Knight: You Should Have Asked: The Art of Powerful Conversation.
The NCMN of Canada was launched in November 2006 to bring together a representative group of stakeholders so as to develop national case management standards with the purpose of establishing a level of excellence and point of reference against which individuals can be compared and evaluated. It is the first and only national association of its kind.
The Canadian Standards of Practice for Case Management document, developed in 2009, is structured to reflect guiding principles, standards, and practice expectations, and is now available for purchase at http://www.ncmn.ca. As case management professionals and practitioners, supervisory and quality assurance personnel, and government and policy makers begin to utilize the standards, it is hoped that they will translate into improved health for Canadians and a strengthened national healthcare system.
The key to greater success lies in educational and professional development. If you are not already a member, check out the top-10 reasons why you should join at http://www.ncmn.ca. Together, a strong and cohesive body of care providers can not only climb new mountains but also move them. Stay tuned, the Canadians have just begun.
Visit the NCMN Web site at http://www.ncmn.ca to connect with NCMN, or e-mail President Joan Park, MScN, RN, at mailto:[email protected].
The latest report from the William E Smith Institute for Association Research shows that association members earn higher salaries, like their jobs more and are happier people.
-Dr. Arthur Brooks, Association Forum, January/February 2008
Professional Case Management
is the official journal of the National Case Management Network.