We have been getting a lot of inquiries recently regarding the different types of Case Management Certifications available. Many of you want to know which is best for you. This is a very individual choice based on where you work, your professional background, and where you see yourself working in the future. This article gives a comparison of 3 of the more popular certification available for case managers to help you decide which one may be best for you.
CCM (Certified Case Manager)
This certification exam is administered by the Commission for Case Manager Certification and is considered the gold standard of case management certifications. It is also the most popular with over 45,000 board-certified case managers to date. This certification is inclusive of all case managers no matter their work setting or credentials as long as they have a license that allows them to conduct an independent assessment of the client. This makes it very popular with case managers today who are interested in career advancement and know the importance of making themselves more marketable.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the qualifications in three areas; licensure or education, employment, and character, to be eligible to sit for this exam. Qualifications include:
Licensure or Education Requirements
Applicants must have:
(1) a current, active and unrestricted licensure or certification in a health or human services discipline such as RN, LCSW, CRC, PT, OT, ST, RT, and CDMS.
OR
(2) a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in nursing, social work, or other health and human services discipline and have completed supervised field experience in case management, health, or behavioral health.
Employment Requirements
Applicants must meet one of the employment requirements below:
- 12 months of full-time case management, supervised by a CCM
- 12 months of full-time case management employment experience as a supervisor of individuals who provides case management services
- 24 months of full-time case management
Character Requirement
Be of good moral character, consistent with the CCMC Code of Professional Conduct.
Exam Structure
According to CCMC, “The CCM exam is practice-based, meaning all questions are based on the knowledge that an experienced case manager should know and understand.”
The examination content focuses on the following five domains:
- Care Delivery & Reimbursement Methods
- Psychosocial Concepts & Support Systems
- Quality & Outcomes Evaluation and Measurement
- Rehabilitations Concepts & Strategies
- Ethical, Legal & Practice Standards
You will have 3 hours to complete the exam which consists of 180 multiple-choice questions. Only 150 of these are actual scored questions, the other 30 are pretest questions which are not scored. Those who pass this exam are entitled to use the credential CCM (Certified Case Manager).
Exam Schedule
The exam is administered 3 times each year, April, August, and December. The test can be scheduled any day during the testing month at a Prometric Testing Center. Applications to test must be submitted during the application window for that test month.
| Exam Period | April | August | December |
| Application window open | November 1 | March 1 | July 1 |
| Application window close | January 31 | May 31 | September 30 |
| Approve/Denial Notified | By February 28 | By June 30 | By October 31 |
| Exam Administered | April 1-30 | August 1-31 | December 1-31 |
The application fee is $210 (non-refundable) plus the exam fee of $185 (refundable if ineligible to sit for the exam), for a total of $395.
The Skinny
Who: Medical Professionals who are permitted to conduct an independent client assessment
Work Setting: All
Credential: CCM
Fee: $395
Work Experience: Minimum of 1 year
Renewal: 5 years
Popularity: 45,000+
This is for you if: (1) You are a medical professional working as a case manager. (2) You are looking for career advancement. (3) You want the Gold Standard Certification. (4) You work or plan to work in a setting other than acute care.
For further clarification on eligibility please contact: CCMCertification.org
ACM (Accredited Case Manager)
This certification is created and administered by the America Case Manager Association (ACMA). It is only offered only to RN’s and Social Workers. The ACM is for health delivery system and transitions of care (ToC) case managers working in the hospital setting.
Eligibility
The ACM Certification examination is open to all registered nurses with a valid and current nursing license and/or social workers with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in social work or valid social work license. All applicants must have 1 year (2,080 hours) of full-time, supervised paid work experience as a case manager or in a role that falls within the scope of Services and Standards of Practice of a case manager, by a health delivery system. Candidates with less than two years of experience must provide supervisor contact information and an attestation that they have at least one year of case management experience. It is important to note that paid or unpaid internship does not count toward full-time work experience. The exam application fee is $325. Candidates deemed ineligible to sit for the exam will receive a refund, less a $75 processing fee.
Exam Structure
The examination content focuses on hospital case management and transitions of care (ToC) in the following four domains:
- screening and assessment,
- planning,
- care coordination, intervention, and transition management,
- evaluation.
There are two components to this exam. The first part consists of questions that test core case management knowledge, skills, and abilities. The second part of the exam involves discipline-specific clinical simulations. Candidates must pass both the core and discipline-specific portions to be entitled to use the ACM credential.
Exam Schedule
Quarterly Exam Scheduling. Candidates apply and test within the regularly scheduled deadlines and timeframes listed below.
| Application Deadline | Exam Period |
| November 15 | January, February, March |
| February 15 | April, May, June |
| May 15 | July, August, September |
| August 15 | October, November, December |
The Skinny
Who: RN’s and SW only
Work Setting: Hospital
Credential: ACM (Accredited Case Manager) ACM-RN or ACM-SW
Fee: $325
Work Experience: Minimum of 1 year
Renewal: 4 Years
Popularity: 6,400+
This is for you if: (1) You are an RN or SW case manager working in a hospital setting and plan to continue working there. (2) You are looking for career advancement where you currently work.
Learn More: acmaweb.org
ANCC
This certification is administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). It is developed for nurses, by nurses and is focused specifically on nursing case management.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the qualifications in two areas, licensure and employment.
Qualifications include:
Licensure Requirements
Applicants must hold a current, active RN license within a state or territory of the United States or the professional, legally recognized equivalent in another country to be eligible to sit for the exam. International applicants must comply with additional requirements.
Employment Requirements
Applicants must have practiced the equivalent of 2 years full-time as a registered nurse and have a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice in nursing case management within the last 3 years. In addition, applicants must have completed 30 hours of continuing education in nursing case management within the last 3 years.
The application fee is $395. If you are a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the application fee is $270. If you paid $395 to apply for an exam and then chose to withdraw or were deemed ineligible for the exam, ANCC would retain $140 and provide a $255 refund.
Exam Structure
(*Note this information applies to the new updated test which begins December 16, 2019)
The ANCC is a competency-based exam that assesses the entry-level clinical knowledge and skills of registered nurses working in case management. The examination content focuses on the following four domains:
- Professional Foundation
- Care Coordination
- Quality Management
- Health Promotion
You will have 3 hours to complete the exam which consists of 150 questions. Only 125 of these are actual scored questions, the other 25 are pretest questions that are not scored. After successfully passing the exam the RN-BC (Registered Nurse-Board Certified) is awarded.
Exam Schedule
After you mail your application, allow 4 – 6 weeks for an eligibility decision. If eligible, you’ll get an authorization to test number and a 90-day window in which to schedule and take your exam at a Prometric Test Center.
The Skinny
Who: RN
Work Setting: All
Credential: RN-BC
Fee: $395, American Nurses Association (ANA) Member $270
Work Experience:
- 2 years full-time as a registered nurse, and
- 2,000+ hours of clinical practice in nursing case management within the last 3 years, and
- 30 hours of continuing education in nursing case management within the last 3 years.
Renewal: 5 Years
Popularity: 2,000+/-
This is for you if: (1) you are an RN. (2) You work or plan to work in a setting other than acute care. (3) You are looking for career advancement.
Learn More: NursingWorld.org
My Opinion
I wanted to share how and why I chose the CCM Certification from different options.
At first, I was leaning toward the ANCC since I was a nurse and it was for nurses only. When it was time for me to apply, I asked the director of my department her opinion. Her answer was “the CCM is the gold standard”…
So, I began looking into CCM. I also looked at job postings for Case Manager positions I may want in the future and all the positions required CCM certification. Based on this, I made the choice to seek my CCM certification and have been extremely happy with my decision. My CCM certification has opened many doors for me.
While the CCM was the right choice for me, it will not be the right decision for everybody. You will need to take into consideration your current situation and where you see yourself in the future.
No matter which one you choose, good luck and know that you can do it! Being a Certified Case Manager is a great profession!
Other Certifications
While we have only listed the most popular, there are numerous other certifications available. To see a full list of available certifications, download the free eBook by Anne Llewellyn, Stepping Up to Certification, HERE.
Deanna Cooper Gillingham, RN, CCM is a leader in case management with over a quarter-century experience in healthcare as a Registered Nurse and Case Manager. She is CEO and co-founder of the Case Management Institute, and leader and co-founder of the Case Managers Community, a group of over 10,000 committed case managers. From there she hosts the popular Case Managers Community Saturday morning FB Lives.
In addition to her own books, CCM Certification Made Easy: Your Guide to Passing the Certified Case Managers Exam and Foundations of Case Management (Available 2021), she has contributed to other works including Second Acts, Stepping Up to Certification, and Case Management Salary and Trends Survey.
I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant / Licensed. Would I be eligible to apply for CCM certification with those credentials?
Hi Shayne,
As we are not the ones that approve eligibility for the Exam you need to contact the Exam administrators at the CCMC Organization for further clarification on eligibility. Please contact them at CCMCertification.org This article only lists a couple of certifications primarily for RNs. If you go to this page https://nursesadvocates.com/resources/ there is a PDF you can download on Stepping Up to Certification, The Case Manager’s Guide to Certification which covers a whole lot more. Thank you for your question.
Iam a Respiratory therapist and i do a lot of work as case management in the sleep clinic here in Ca.
I have had my CCM since 1999and have worked as telephonic and field case manager in the worker’s compensation area. I would like to get another certification but not sure if it should be CRRN or CDMS? Any advise?
Hi Shawnee,
Thank you for your comment. Hopefully, you have read the article as there is a rundown of each certification. More importantly, there are 59 comments prior to yours which should cover any other questions you may have.
I am currently enrolled in a CE course by the AIHCP. There are 5 modules to complete with an exam at the end of each module. At completion of all 5 modules you may take the test to become certified. I have heard that these classes are not accredited and I just need to know whether to continue or not. I am learning a lot thus far. Please advise. Thank you
Hi Melinda, We cannot comment or give an opinion on the Course you are already enrolled in as we are not familiar with the course. I would suggest heading over to one of our Case Management Instructors’ websites in which she has written a book on this exact subject. It is the second one down (Stepping Up to Certification) and it can be downloaded as a PDF at no charge. https://nursesadvocates.com/resources/ Thank you so much for your comment, I hope it helps.
Hello , im a Jordanian staff nurse , GRADUATED FROM Jordan university , working in UAE AS a CASE MANAGER , i want to become a CERTIFIED CASE MANAGER , SO
for WHICH CERTIFICATE I CAN APPLY .
Hi Yassmin,
As we are not the ones that approve eligibility for the Exam you need to contact the Exam administrators at the CCMC Organization for further clarification on eligibility. Please contact them at CCMCertification.org
This article only lists a couple of certifications primarily for RN’s. If you go to this page https://nursesadvocates.com/resources/ there is a PDF you can download on Stepping Up to Certification, The Case Manager’s Guide to Certification which covers a whole lot more. Thank you for your question.
Yassmin,
The ANCC has Nurse Case Management certification for international candidates. Check the website at http://www.nursingworld.org for instructions, eligibility and testing information. I’m happy to answer questions as the faculty for the exam reviews and co-author of the ANCC exam review manual.
Hi,
How would you compare the CCM certification with the CMC (certified care manager certification) offered by NACCM?
And do you offer any practice tests/ study guides/ books to prepare for the CMC exam? I see a lot of material available for the CCM exam but not for the CMC exam?
Appreciate any assistance, thanks!
Hi Rochel,
We concentrate our efforts (books and courses) on the CCM Exam as in our opinion it is the gold standard. As far as test questions, 2 choices are our recommended company which is Deanna’s favorite https://www.datachemsoftware.com/ccmpracticetest/ or a free choice which is our Facebook Group found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1636796426601684/ Thank you so much for your comment.
Hello, So if I’ve read this correctly, I, as an LPN with an AAS in Human Services am not eligible for any of these certifications. I currently work as a case manager for a MCO under LTC waivers. I was looking for a way to make myself more knowlegeable and marketable.
Hi Debbie, This article only lists a couple of the certifications primarily for RN’s. If you go to this page https://nursesadvocates.com/resources/ there is a PDF you can download on Stepping Up to Certification, The Case Manager’s Guide to Certification which covers a whole lot more. Thank you for your question.
I have a question regarding the eligibility requirements. I work in the area of Drug Treatment Court professionals. As I do not have a CASAC credentialing I do have a Bachelors of Arts degree with a minor in Sociology / Social Work course work. I also have a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. I was a Program Director for an Scatter Site program for 6 years and currently works as a Drug Court case manager for past 12 years. Would this qualify as a candidate for the Certified Case Manager exam?
Hi Diana,
As we are not the ones that approve eligibility for the Exam you need to contact the Exam administrators at the CCMC Organization for further clarification on eligibility. Please contact them at CCMCertification.org Thank you so much.
Hello,
I hold a RN BSN license. I have hospital experience and for last 17 years work as a case manager for a large community health organization. Would I qualify to take the exam?
Can you recommend a review course?
Thank you
Dawn T
Hi Dawn,
As we are not the ones that approve eligibility for the Exam you need to contact the Exam administrators at the CCMC Organization for further clarification on eligibility. Please contact them at CCMCertification.org Thank you so much.
As far as your second question goes, we have several resources that can be found here. https://casemanagementstudyguide.com/pass-the-ccm-exam/ The On-Demand Course is self paced and is good for one year and the 6-Week Live Prep Course is for those looking for more accountability. The 6_week Class will start selling in May for the August Exam.
Hello, I am not a nurse but I have HND Accounting, I have been working as a case manager for 5year and very passionate about it. I love pursue toward this career,can I take the CCM ?
Hi Dawn,
As we are not the ones that approve eligibility for the Exam you need to contact the Exam administrators at the CCMC Organization for further clarification on eligibility. Please contact them at CCMCertification.org Thank you so much.
Hello. I resigned at my work in 12/2019. I took a long break to visit my family out of the country. I returned and have a strong desire to work in the Case Management field. I have worked as an RN since 1992 and obtained MSN. Am I qualified to take CMC courses and exam? Thank you.
Hi Daisie, Please read this article in full https://casemanagementstudyguide.com/eligibility-for-the-certified-case-manager-exam-ccm-exam/ and if the answer to your question is not there call or email CCMC as they are the governing body for eligibility.
I want to take the certification exam. All the case managers I have worked with in the 26 years speak very highly of the course and your publications.
Thank you Beatriz, that is very kind of you. Any questions let me know via [email protected]
I am an occupational therapist with 25 years of experience in various fields from home health, skill nursing to hospitals. I also have a management experience of 5 years. As a therapist and rehab director, I was part of IDT team and made appropriate recommendations and actively involved in discharge planning. I have thorough knowledge of community resources, application process and care coordination. Will I be eligible to take the exam.
Hi Deepa,
As we are not the ones that approve eligibility for the Exam you need to contact the Exam administrators at the CCMC Organization for further clarification on eligibility. Please contact them at CCMCertification.org Thank you so much.
Hi! I eas beginning to read some comments to see if anyone had a similar situation to myself, but I didn’t come across one. I have a BA in Sociology. Does this fall within the Education requirement? Also I work as a Service Coordinator for Children. I provide Case Management Services, I’ve been doing this 3-4 years. Would this qualify for the employment portion?
Hope these aren’t silly questions.
Thanks
Hi Bri,
As far as eligibility goes you will need to contact the governing body ‘CCMC’ for eligibility and approval. Their information can be found here https://ccmcertification.org/get-certified/certification/ccmr-eligibility-glance If you are eligible then we offer a a book and several review courses that can be found here. https://casemanagementstudyguide.com/pass-the-ccm-exam/
Hello I am a RN BSN in Long Term care for 34 years and would like to obtain my CCM. Would I qualify for this course. I am currently a DON and oversee admission and discharges from our facility. I have not worked specifically as a case manager?
Hi Tina,
As far as eligibility goes you will need to contact the governing body ‘CCMC’ for eligibility and approval. Their information can be found here https://ccmcertification.org/get-certified/certification/ccmr-eligibility-glance If you are eligible then we offer a a book and several review courses that can be found here. https://casemanagementstudyguide.com/pass-the-ccm-exam/
Hello my name is Ty, I’m a License Practical Nurse. I’m interested in Casemanagement and not sure which certification I am eligible for.
Hi Ty, As an LPN you cannot become certified as a Case Manager although anyone can work as one. Here is a download of a great book by one of our instructors, Anne Llewellyn.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/anne-llewellyn/Stepping+Up+To+Certification+v31072018.pdf Good Luck to you.
Please explain why LV’N can not take course it it states eligible individuals must hold a license or degree for a year. LVN are Licensed Nurses. We should be eligible to take the course. Sorry just want to make sure information is correct.
Thank you.
Hi Anna belle,
The Exam is administered by the CCMC Organization so for further clarification on eligibility please contact: CCMCertification.org Thank you so much.
What is the passing rate for first time ACM test takers? Do you distinguish this by practice specialty?. I am a pediatric CM and no not routinely do half of the things that Adult CM do especially related to SNIF and Medicare. We are being asked to take this test but will not be reimbursed if we fail it.
This information is not public knowledge for either ACM or the CCM. We do focus all of our products on the CCM Exam of which we see a 90% pass for 1st time takers and about 80% for people taking the test the 2nd time. Once again these are numbers from the information we received from ‘our’ customers only.
Ok so may be a silly question but I am currently a bedside RN and am looking to switch to case management. I would like to get a certification before I start applying for a CM job. My question is do I need to have a CM job before I can test for a certification?
Hi Ann,
Not a silly question at all as it confuses many. Here is a link to CCMC, the governing body of the Exam and the ones that would approve your status. https://ccmcertification.org/get-certified/certification/ccmr-eligibility-glance That aside we have just introduced a course for your exact situation but it is in the Beta Group testing presently. If you sign up at the bottom of our website we will keep you informed when it will open to the public. https://casemanagementinstitute.com Thank you for your question.
I’m currently taking my general education classes and I’m thinking go getting a bachelor’s degree in psychology or sociology which would be more fitting to become a case manager at a hospital?
Hi Jasmine, Most Case Managers in a hospital setting are going to be either a Registered Nurse or a Social Worker.
I worked as a case manager u.r. nurse for Banner Hwalrh in Az for a year does that meet criteria for CCM?
Hi Linda, As state in the following article, please call the CCMC for specific questions.
I live in Puerto Rico and i Need take one certification(CCM or ACM) Work in a physical Rehabilitation hospital like a Case management. I took the acm and no passed . I am thinking take now the CCM. I am social worker. Which you thinks is more easy? Which you recommended me?
Hi Sandra,
I would suggest taking the CCM Exam and here is their site so you can make sure
that you would be eligible for it. https://ccmcertification.org/get-certified/certification/ccmr-eligibility-glance
Hi, I am a foreign medical graduate.
Can I become a case manager? If yes, how and which one should I work on?
Hi Ali,
I need to send you to the source itself. They do all the eligibility issues. CCMC (The Commission)
I have had my CCM since 2001 , prior to the development of ACM. I have been a CM now for 21 years and now function in a Travel capacity. I do work mainly in hospital care settings. I am a member of the ACMA and currently undergoing Compass training. I have not had any issues with my certification thus far. I am proud of my CCM . Most of my continuing education is preapproved by CMSA. I’ve noticed while doing the Compass training under ACMA (which my company offers for free,) has alot of the same information and instruction that I receive under CMSA . I have thought of getting my ACM but is it really necessary?
Hi Angela,
Thank you so much for your question. The only reason I can see that you would need the ACM would be if your employer required it.
I am a psychosocial support case management officer in an emergency setting (Conflict Zone). I need a case management certificate in that regard. May I?
I have ACM-RN, CCM, and RN-BC and hope to have one more by the end of the year. I think all 3 have value with no one certification better than the others.
I teach a prep course for both CCM and ACM. And believe there are subjects/topics common to both.
Nancy, do both the ACM and CCM pretty much mean the same thing when you are applying for case management jobs. Do most employers recognize either of these when hiring for case managers ? thank you
Trish,
Yes, I see no need to have both. Many employees will accept either or.
Hi Nancy:
Where are you located? Looking for a prep course in the NY area.
Hi Monica,
All of the courses that we offer are online. One is a Live 6-session (via Zoom) class with 2 Instructors and can be found here. https://casemanagementstudyguide.com/online-live-ccm-prep-course/ The other course is an on-demand course which is self-study and you have access until you pass the Exam, which can be found here. https://casemanagementstudyguide.com/case-management-certification-review-course/
As Abi noted, Deanna and I are on a special report that will be called Stepping Up to Certification. One question, we would like to ask the group is what are the questions you have when looking for a national certification. Any and all questions/comments/suggestings are appreciated. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]
Thanks
Excellent comparison, but I believe within hospital settings, ACM is the gold standard. So you are correct in the advice to look at your individual professional goals and the ultimate setting in which you plan to practice.
Interesting, my experience is I have worked in various acute care facilities for past 4 years (travel) they all asked me if I had my CCM.
Last week had an local interview in a large acute medical facility and they help you pay for the CCM certification which is a little more money than ACM.
I do like the Compass training in ACM which I am a member also and it is quite relevant for acute care.
This resource is great but should be expanded to include more options. For example, the American Board of Managed Care Nursing offer CMCN (Certified Managed Care Nurse) or CMCP (Certified Managed Care Professional). In addition, the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing officer CCCTM (Certified Care Coordinator and Transition Management). Anyone with leadership experience should sit for the CMAC credential (Case Management Administrator, Certfied) offered by the Center for Case Management and all those who are certified in their field should join the Academy of Certified Case Managers.
Hi Stefani,
This was a short article to give an overview of the most common types of Case Management Certification. We are working on a more detailed project with Anne Llewellyn and that will cover the certifications you mentioned. Thank you for your input.
Thanks, Stephanie, these are great suggestions and will be covered in the report.
I have a double Diploma in community work and case management.
I have had 8 years as a case manager with Aged home care packages
What would I need to be certified
Hi Danielle,
To be certified, you need to choose which certification you like, check out their eligibility requirements, apply to take the exam, and pass!!
… what a great comparison. some information i didnt even know i didnt know. thx ever so, kc
Excellent comparison. I am now considering getting my certification.