Nurse Navigator, Hematology/Oncology, Physician Practice

The Nurse Navigator functions on the multidisciplinary team as an advocate, interpreter, educator, and counselor for patients. Is responsible for ensuring all patients receive quality and comprehensive services, including coordinating patient care throughout the continuum in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team. In conjunction with the PCP, the Nurse Navigator will serve as a clinical resource with expertise and will serve as a liaison throughout the facility and in the community. The incumbent will provide expert nursing care, which includes: direct clinical practice, consultation and education. Also, the incumbent will participate in the development and roll out of initiatives to improve health outcomes and health equity.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates the knowledge, skill, and coordination to provide nursing care and guidance to the patient. Systematically and continually performs the functions of assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the care according to the nursing process.
• Provides education and information to the patients and their family, helping to make the care seamless, continuous and comprehensive. Initiates and documents patient teaching including family and significant others based on assessment of needs, including psychosocial, and lifestyle practices.
• Assist patient and care team members with navigating patient’s chronic diseases, treatments, outcomes, and care plans.
• Assess educational needs of patients, families, and caregivers.
• Provide education about diagnosis, treatment options, side effect management, care team roles, and importance of treatment adherence.
• Identify barriers when treatment goals are not met, treatment plan is not being followed or important appointments are missed.
• Address medication adherence.
• Assume responsibility for facilitating the scheduling of patient appointments, diagnostic testing, and procedures with appropriate scheduling team.
• Identify patients who are overdue for visits, labs, and referrals, contact patients and arrange for follow-up services.
• Assist the patient in improved healthcare access and promote patient knowledge of health and behaviour change.
• Identify and connect patient with appropriate support services and community resources.
• Facilitate communication among members of the multidisciplinary care team.
• Responds to patient request for information regarding their care and community resources. Uses appropriate patient Education documentation modality.
• Functions in an organized and time conscious manner. The Navigator partners with patients, families, interdisciplinary team, and community resources to provide well-coordinated, timely, compassionate, exemplary, interdisciplinary care and communicates with all members of the healthcare team, as appropriate about patient/family needs and concerns.
• Initiates and performs ongoing review of policies related to service provided and when appropriate, updates or writes new policies to enhance professional practice.
• Serves as a resource for community educational events, such as health fairs, screenings, symposiums, and lectures as well as support for staff education.
• Preserves and protects patient rights to confidentiality.
• Performs other related duties as requested or directed.

Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing required with at least 5 years of nursing experience.
• Nurse Navigator experience preferred.
• Must have and maintain current licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) in Rhode Island and CPR certification.
• Nurse Navigation Certification Preferred and/or obtained within 6 months of hire.