Nurse Navigator– Inpatient Hematology

Cincinnati Children's

3d•$83,970 - $107,224•Onsite

About The Position

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is seeking an experienced and compassionate Registered Nurse to join our Inpatient Hematology Nurse Navigation team. The Inpatient Hematology Nurse Navigator plays a vital role in supporting patients and families throughout their hospital stay. Unlike a traditional outpatient navigator who primarily follows patients in clinic, this role is embedded within the inpatient setting, following hematology patients during admission and helping coordinate care across the multidisciplinary team. The navigator will support patients with a variety of hematologic diagnoses and conditions. A significant portion of the inpatient population includes adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease, making a strong passion for caring for this population particularly valuable. At the same time, this role provides the opportunity to develop expertise across a broad range of pediatric hematology conditions. This position is ideal for a nurse who enjoys complex care coordination, multidisciplinary collaboration, patient and family advocacy, and building strong relationships with patients during challenging hospitalizations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Nursing.
ACEN/CCNE accredited BSN OR MSN OR Associate/Diploma RN AND 2+ years of experience and BSN/MSN.
5+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Active Ohio RN License. May be required to obtain other state license
Experience providing nursing care to pediatric patients.
Strong clinical assessment, communication, organization, and care coordination skills.
Ability to work collaboratively within a complex multidisciplinary environment.
Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Ability to advocate effectively for patients and families.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to build trusting relationships with adolescents, young adults, and families.

Nice To Haves

Pediatric hematology or oncology nursing experience.
Experience caring for patients with sickle cell disease.
Experience working with adolescents and young adults.
Previous nurse navigation, care coordination, or complex case management experience.
Experience participating in interdisciplinary rounds.
Experience coordinating care across inpatient and outpatient settings.
Professional nursing certification relevant to hematology, oncology, or pediatric nursing.
Experience supporting patients with complex chronic health conditions.
Specialty experience (e.g., oncology, hematology, transplant, chronic disease management).
Professional nursing certification relevant to role or population (e.g., OCN®, CPHON®, BMTCN®, RN-BC).
Experience in care coordination, navigation, or complex case management.

Responsibilities

Serve as a consistent nursing resource and point of contact for hematology patients and families during hospitalization.
Follow patients throughout their inpatient stay to promote continuity, coordination, and a positive patient and family experience.
Coordinate care across nursing, physicians, advanced practice providers, social work, pharmacy, psychology, and other members of the interdisciplinary team.
Identify barriers to care and work proactively with the healthcare team to address patient and family needs.
Support coordination of diagnostic testing, procedures, consultations, treatments, discharge planning, and follow-up care.
Help facilitate seamless transitions between inpatient and outpatient care.
Regularly participate in inpatient rounds and contribute nursing expertise to patient care planning.
Serve as a communication bridge between the patient and family and members of the healthcare team.
Facilitate timely communication of patient and family concerns, clinical needs, and barriers to care.
Collaborate with the broader hematology team to ensure consistent understanding of the patient's treatment plan and goals.
Help coordinate communication across services when patients have complex or multiple healthcare needs.
Assess patients throughout their hospitalization and identify changes or concerns requiring additional evaluation or intervention.
Apply clinical knowledge of hematologic conditions and treatment plans to support timely care coordination.
Monitor clinical information, laboratory results, treatment plans, and other relevant patient data in collaboration with the healthcare team.
Recognize potential barriers, complications, or changes in the patient's condition and communicate concerns appropriately.
Participate in patient and family triage and clinical communication within scope of practice.
Provide individualized education related to the patient's diagnosis, treatment plan, hospitalization, medications, symptom management, and discharge needs.
Reinforce education provided by the interdisciplinary team.
Assess patient and family understanding and adapt education to meet developmental, cultural, and health-literacy needs.
Prepare patients and families for transitions between inpatient and outpatient care.
Support adolescents and young adults as they develop increasing independence in managing their healthcare.
Develop strong therapeutic relationships with adolescents, young adults, and families affected by sickle cell disease.
Support patients and families navigating complex or recurrent hospitalizations.
Identify psychosocial, educational, financial, transportation, or other barriers that may affect care.
Partner with social work, psychology, child life, school services, and community resources to address identified needs.
Advocate for patient and family goals and preferences while supporting shared decision-making.
Promote consistent communication and continuity across repeated hospital encounters.
Advocate for patients and families throughout the hospitalization.
Support effective discharge planning and preparation for return home.
Help ensure patients and families understand follow-up plans, medications, appointments, and ongoing care needs.
Facilitate communication with outpatient providers and other care teams to support continuity following discharge.
Help identify opportunities to reduce fragmented care and improve the overall patient and family experience.
Participate in quality improvement initiatives focused on hematology care, patient navigation, transitions, and the patient and family experience.
Identify opportunities to improve communication, care coordination, workflows, and inpatient navigation processes.
Contribute to development and maintenance of educational materials, resources, and role-specific workflows.
Maintain accurate and timely documentation in the electronic medical record.
Support compliance with professional nursing standards and Cincinnati Children’s policies and procedures.
Serve as a primary point of contact for assigned patients and families across phases of care.
Coordinate care across inpatient, outpatient, procedural, and specialty services to ensure continuity and minimize fragmentation.
Facilitate referrals, diagnostic testing, procedures, treatments, and follow-up appointments.
Support transitions of care (e.g., diagnosis to treatment, inpatient to outpatient, pediatric to adult care, survivorship).
Collaborate with internal and external providers, institutions, and community resources to support patient needs.
Utilize advanced, disease-specific clinical expertise to assess patient status, anticipate treatment-related complications and side effects, and support timely clinical decision-making.
Evaluate treatment progress and response to care using established guidelines, pathways, and protocols.
Monitor laboratory results, diagnostic studies, and treatment plans in collaboration with providers.
Identify and escalate clinical concerns, barriers to care, or deviations from expected outcomes.
Participate in triage of patient and family calls, messages, and electronic communications within scope of practice.
Provide diagnosis-specific, treatment-related, and anticipatory guidance tailored to patient and family needs.
Educate patients and caregivers on symptom management, medications, treatment plans, and when/how to seek care.
Reinforce safety education, discharge instructions, and care plans across settings.
Assess health literacy and adapt education accordingly.
Identify psychosocial, financial, logistical, and system-level barriers to care.
Facilitate referrals to social work, psychology, school services, financial counseling, and community resources.
Advocate for patient and family goals, preferences, and shared decision-making.
Support patients and families during high-risk, complex, or emotionally challenging phases of care.
Act as a liaison between patients/families and the healthcare team to optimize communication and care planning.
Participate in multidisciplinary meetings (e.g., care conferences, tumor boards, planning meetings) as appropriate.
Collaborate with nursing, physicians, advanced practice providers, pharmacy, social work, and ancillary services.
Provide clinical input to support care planning and coordination.
Participate in quality improvement initiatives, program evaluation, and outcomes tracking.
Contribute to development and maintenance of role-specific workflows, educational materials, and resources.
Support compliance with regulatory, accreditation, and institutional standards.
Practice in accordance with professional nursing standards, scope of practice, and ethical guidelines.
Maintain required licensure, certifications, and competencies.
Engage in ongoing professional development and continuing education.
Serve as a clinical resource and mentor to colleagues as appropriate.