The Sacred Work of Case Management
It is easy to recognize your usefulness to the kingdom when you work on the front lines in healthcare. Somehow wiping poo, diagnosing illness and providing optimum patient care seems to be the front line of kingdom work as well as healthcare. However, what if God moves you from the front lines to administration or, god forbid, case management?! Does that mean he has benched you, metaphorically speaking, from kingdom work? How does one impact the kingdom when working remotely from home? And is there even a place for such an individual to participate? Does God place Christians in unseen and unacknowledged roles on purpose? Is unseen work less sacred than direct patient care?
As this has been my story, this is a concept I have been wrestling through over the past few months. Though I willingly left the bedside, I was surprised this year when my role become a “work from home” position without my request or desire for so. I do not want to downplay the blessing of being around my family more, being able to pick up and drop off my kids from school without worrying about after-care, and all the other abundance of working remotely. However, I have struggled to find where I fit in God’s work in this world since I have transitioned. I have wondered why God took me away from all patient interaction when I was one of a few of my peers willing to share the gospel, pray for patients and live boldly for Christ. How do I serve God unseen and in the background? What more can I do but pray for those in the hundreds of charts I go through in a week?
Since becoming a case manager I have had many conversations with other nurses, doctors and pharmacists over the woes and frustrations of insurance. There are so many rules for using their coveted monies and so many loopholes by which these companies often try to get out of using all of those monies. In the end, it is the patient who suffers. As I have learned these nuances, I have come to realize the important role case managers have. It’s the role of the advocate.
This role is important for many reasons, but most importantly, it is important to the Lord because he sent his Son to be our advocate. Jesus, as savior, King, Priest and Lord is our advocate. Yes, he came to save humanity, to establish his kingdom and fulfill promises long ago given. And he also came to be our advocate as High priest[1].
As our Kingly- priest, Jesus advocates for us to the Father, not as one ignorant of our struggles, but as one who personally knows the human condition and speaks from a place of compassion, experience and holiness. You see, we need him, because he knows what it is to be human, but also sees our sinful condition accurately. He stands before the Lord of Hosts and makes a case in our favor, nullifying our sin and allowing us access to God’s love, mercy, glory, and acceptance.
As RN case managers, we have a unique role as an advocate. We have cared for patients. We have wiped poo, cleaned bodies, titrated meds, given shots, hugged crying family members, comforted people on the worst days of their lives and more. We know what good medical care looks like, when illness is severe or mild, and how to serve sacrificially. Our profession teaches us compassion and empathy as we spend hours and hours and weeks and months with the same people. We know these individuals are more than their room numbers, but are people with hearts and souls and hurts and joys.
Can I make the argument that our broken healthcare system needs Christian case managers. We need Christ-like advocates to stand before insurance companies and healthcare corporations and advocate for the individuals who are currently too sick to advocate for themselves. Christ has advocated for us when we were too sinful to advocate for ourselves, how much more should we strive to be like our love and Savior?
Friend, you might be working remotely, in your PJs, far from patient care, but your work is sacred, because the Lord has placed you in your role. Do not neglect the daily opportunities to reflect Jesus as you advocate, to the best of your ability, for those under your watch.
[1] Hebrews 8
Written by Sara Danielle Hill, RN. Sara is an RN Case Manager who is also the author of Hope in the Darkness: A Medical Professional’s Guide to Gospel-Centered Care.