DorlandHealth

How Volunteering Improves Your Case Management Skills, Enhances the Understanding of Case Management, and Fulfills Fundamental Needs

Volunteering is like “the circle of life” or the “pay it forward” theory. I think that typically one begins volunteering because of a sense of excitement about a cause. The excitement might be fleeting — you walk once for the March of Dimes, you buy pink to support breast cancer, or you give blood because you heard that there was a shortage. You give to all the school functions, and maybe you organize an event for the school, church, office, or other organization you belong to. I was such a volunteer.

I began small with the March of Dimes, progressively volunteering more and more and for longer-commitment projects. But rather than volunteering until I was burned out, volunteering for such an organization always paid me back in immeasurable rewards. Just before I turned 18, I donated a pint of blood to a drive held at my college. This led to a personal challenge to donate and reach new gallon levels. Forty years later, at an incremental rate of a half hour every six to eight weeks, has led to 20-plus gallons of blood.

In this edition of Ask the Expert, we consult with Rosalind Joffe, the founder and president of cicoach.com, a career coaching firm dedicated to helping professionals with chronic illness, to inquire about chronic illness, return to work, and the role of professional advocates. Ms. Joffe can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Q: I am a case manager who works with patients with chronic disease. More times that not, my patients want to work, but the employer is leery about bringing them back after a prolonged time out of work. As a career coach for patients with chronic conditions, what advice would you provide to the patient as well as to the employer?

A: This question highlights a critical challenge many workers with chronic illness face when returning to work. An employer’s reluctance regarding an employee’s return to work after a prolonged absence can set the stage for failure.

That is why it is helpful if a case manager “steps into a manager’s shoes” to understand why this might happen. With this knowledge, you are better prepared to help your patients address these concerns successfully.