Case Management: Levels of Practice

Course overview

Knowledge acquisition has been studied across many fields to understand how one gains knowledge. The Dreyfus model describes the stages of knowledge acquisition and how knowledge is used for skill development. Dr. Patricia Benner applied the Dreyfus model to understand how nurses gain knowledge. Her theory, Novice to Expert, explains how nurses develop their knowledge and skills at each level. This theory lends itself well to understanding the knowledge acquisition required for case managers. As a case manager advances through the levels of practice, they rely less on book knowledge or the rules of case management and more on tacit or intuitive knowledge. Historically, as the field of case management has developed, case managers have been experienced nurses or social workers. They have used the skills of their field to advance case management