Nurse Navigator (RN) - Orthopedics

Hartford Healthcare•Hartford, CT

About The Position

The Total Joint Nurse Navigator collaborates with the multidisciplinary team to support patients throughout the continuum of care, serving as a patient advocate, liaison, and educator. The role supports patients before and after surgery and during inpatient care, helping coordinate services and address clinical, educational, and psychosocial needs. The Nurse Navigator also contributes to quality improvement, research, patient engagement, community outreach, and evidence-based nursing practice at Hartford Hospital’s Bone and Joint Institute.

Requirements

Active Connecticut Registered Nurse license.
Minimum five years of clinical nursing experience preferred.
Demonstrated clinical skills and expertise in diagnosis, treatment, and the psychosocial impact of disease.
Commitment to professional growth and development.
Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences, including professional staff, patients, community members, media, and other service agencies.
Excellent customer service and telephonic communication skills, including the ability to assess patients’ physical and psychosocial status and conduct complex medical history discussions by telephone.
Knowledge of adult learning competencies and patient teaching skills.
Tolerance for ambiguity and flexibility to respond to changing system needs.
Management skills demonstrating self-motivation, initiative, and fiscal responsibility.
Knowledge of Microsoft Office tools, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Master’s degree preferred.
Service line and/or operational experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Perform daily rounds during inpatient hospital stays and reinforce education about the disease process and rehabilitation goals.
Serve as a liaison between total joint patients, surgeons, inpatient teams, and appropriate outpatient services based on patients’ clinical needs.
Conduct pre-operative and post-transition outreach to identify problems and provide early intervention.
Work with healthcare team members to oversee and direct continuous quality improvement metrics, including patient experience, falls, readmissions, and skilled nursing facility referrals.
Participate in daily clinical progression rounds and weekly prospective patient rounds.
Participate in clinical quality improvement projects and research to produce measured outcomes and optimize the patient experience.
Partner with Nursing Leadership to recruit and encourage participation in patient engagement committees.
Provide perioperative education to optimize patient outcomes.
Support preoperative and postoperative patients holistically by engaging appropriate resources to meet their needs.
Participate in workshops, seminars, and community outreach programs that support the Bone and Joint mission.
Participate in clinical research to support and enhance evidence-based nursing practice.
Ensure proper capture of Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) on selected virtual platforms.