Commission for Case Manager Certification Marks National Case Management Week with Scholarship Award

Susan C. Wirt of Virginia is recipient of Commission's 2011 Patricia McCollom Scholarship

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Commission for Case Manager Certification (the Commission) announced today its 2011 Patricia McCollom Scholarship was awarded to Susan C. Wirt, BSN, RN, CRRN, CCM, CLCP, CRP, CNLCP, of Catawba, Va. This $1,000 scholarship is given each year during National Case Management Week to a deserving board-certified case manager to support tuition, travel and the expenses of continuing education to maintain the Certified Case Manager (CCM®) credential.

The Commission is committed to the advancement and evolution of case management, advocating for professional case management excellence through certification and related programs and services. The CCM credential is the oldest and largest case management certification. After successfully passing the rigorous CCM exam, board-certified case managers must maintain the credential through continuing education and professional development.

"We are delighted to recognize the outstanding work of this 30-year case management veteran," said Dorothy Consonery-Fairnot, BS, MSHA, RN, CCM, CLNC, the Commission's chair and Southeast regional manager for MedInsights. "Susan's application was distinctive because of her dedication to lifelong learning while generously mentoring other case managers in the field. As a self-employed case manager and life care planner, she is energetically pursuing an advanced degree while taking care of her clients and participating as a speaker on case management topics."

The scholarship honors former Commissioner Patricia McCollom, a board-certified case manager best known for her passion for continuing education and for her skill as a speaker. The Commission selects the scholarship recipient based on the candidate's demonstrated professional values that promote and advance quality case management practice.

"I am honored that the scholarship is in Patty's name. She is well recognized as one of the leaders with the foresight to look into the future and see where we needed to go with regard to both case management and life care planning," Wirt said. "My core education is in nursing; I was a registered nurse before I became a case manager and life planner. In all of those roles we are there to facilitate, promote healthy lifestyles, and decrease the impact of disability and chronic long-term illnesses. It's important that we maintain and enhance our fundamental knowledge, skills and expertise to keep up with the many changes in health care. And certification is a validation that you have maintained that focus and commitment."

Wirt will use her scholarship funds in her continuing studies at the Jefferson College of Health Science, where she is pursuing a master's degree in nursing. In addition to her independent case management and life care planning practice, Wirt and Associates, LLC, she is president-elect of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, and will begin serving her term as president next month. Wirt frequently presents at educational conferences for case managers and regularly interacts with colleagues in the field to promote problem solving and professional excellence.

National Case Management Week, observed Oct. 9-15, 2011, is an opportunity to highlight the role and value of case management and to recognize the accomplishments of individual case managers. Through the development and management of the comprehensive CCM credential, the Commission promotes, advances and advocates for consumer protection, quality case management practice, ethical standards and behavior and scientific knowledge development and dissemination of case management standards and practices.

About the Commission for Case Manager Certification
The Commission for Case Manager Certification is the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies more than 30,000 professional case managers. The Commission is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that oversees the process of case manager certification with its CCM^® credential. The Commission is positioned as the most active and prestigious certification organization supporting the practice of case management. For more information, visit www.ccmcertification.org, connect with CCMC on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CCM_Cert.

SOURCE Commission for Case Manager Certification