Providing the Foundation for Success for Care Coordination Professionals

At Northwell, we understand the powerful impact behind providing our team with the right training and education so they can perform at their best. Our registered nurse case managers and social workers have unique access to our dedicated education team who provide one-of-a-kind effective training programs from onboarding orientation to leadership education to give our team members the foundation they need for continued growth and development. With continued education and training, our RN case managers and social workers have the skills and tools they need beyond the bedside to succeed in their roles within the care coordination field of practice.

Learn more about the benefits our Care Coordination team members have access to including our talented clinical professional development educators and education advisors. These education professional, leverage their experience and backgrounds to create education and training programs that enable our Care Coordination team members to develop and grow their careers.

Our Care Coordination educators develop and create the following training and education programs for registered nurses and licensed social workers to succeed in their roles:

• Orientation and onboarding of new team members
• Development of independent learning, self-study programs in conjunction with instructor-led classes
• Curriculum development for new case managers, social workers, leaders, and support staff
• Continuing education programs for all team members with speakers on specific topics
• Access to various tools and resources to support ongoing learning

Through these programs, RN case managers and social workers become advocates for their patients so they are always well prepared to find a solution and treatment option that best works for each situation so patients can heal.

Caryn Stapler, RN, MBA, CCM, says, “We provide a solid standardized program and foundations for success for new hires and every Care Coordination team member across all our (inpatient) sites.” After a career in financial services for more than 20 years, Caryn went back to school to earn a nursing degree before starting at Northwell in 2008 as a registered nurse in Telemetry. She worked as a patient experience coordinator, case manager and today, Caryn is a clinical professional development educator for our Care Coordination team who creates new education programs for registered nurse case managers.

Our Care Coordination education team provides support to our frontline team members. They develop curriculums and schedules for key learning areas within the division for registered nurses, and also develop our mentorship program for rising leaders within Care Coordination. As Northwell continues to evolve and expand, our nurse educators also oversee education affiliation and student programs within the discipline. Heather Gordon, RN, BSN, CCM, clinical professional development educator, is currently involved in a new preliminary initiative that will provide nursing students with experience and exposure in the field of case management. “The education team works collaboratively with unique skill sets and experienced nurses to expand and meet the needs of the care coordination strategic initiatives,” says Heather. Heather’s career history is deeply rooted at Northwell Health. She started at as a nursing assistant, then became a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit. From there, Heather became a case manager in 2007 at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. With Heather’s vast experience and dedication, this position lead to her promotion as director of case management and social work in 2019 and then to her current role.

Providing care coordination to those needing assistance requires dedication and drive. Zairia Finch, LCSW-R, MS, advisor, social work services, is responsible for the development and implementation of educational programs and opportunities for our social workers at Northwell Health. Zairia leads the creation of orientation material and competencies, oversees continuing education, provides ongoing learning, and partners collaboratively with other disciplines outside of Social Work Services to further develop interdisciplinary approaches to care. She works to incorporate best practices and innovative solutions to social work specific areas of practice.

Zairia’s social work experience brought her to Northwell eight years ago. “Being a champion of social work and being able to build the social work services education programs, I can see the impact we have on our team members across the health system in providing them with additional education and training,” says Zairia. This exceptional educational training enables social workers to perform their best and succeed within our care settings. In addition, Zairia supports the highly successful MSW Student Program throughout Northwell.

The benefits of working in care coordination includes being able to provide ongoing patient advocacy, supporting positive patient experiences, providing safe discharge plans, and ensuring a seamless transition for our patients across the continuum of care.

Northwell Health is leading the way for our registered nurse case managers and social workers to have unique access to our dedicated Care Coordination educators who provide one-of-a-kind training and education to ensure top of licensure practice and optimal patient outcomes.

Explore Case Management and Social Work Services careers today.