Nurse Navigator

HCA Healthcare•Nashville, TN

About The Position

The Nurse Navigator is a registered nurse with advanced cardiac nursing knowledge and skills who supports the outpatient heart failure clinic and helps optimize inpatient heart failure care. The role involves moderate-difficulty decision-making, handling confidential patient records, operating and analyzing telemetry monitors, exercise equipment, and patient evaluation tools, and potentially initiating emergency procedures. The Nurse Navigator monitors patients during outpatient stress tests and inotrope infusions, administers medications, conducts assessments and procedures, and provides education to patients and families about heart failure and cardiovascular disorders. The position coordinates referrals and follow-up care among clinical services, helps connect inpatients with appropriate heart failure resources, and ensures timely post-discharge appointments and follow-up calls. The nurse documents care and education, follows clinical protocols, maintains equipment and supplies, and contributes to ongoing quality improvement and promotion of the heart failure program. This is a full-time, Monday–Friday day position with no nights, on-call duties, weekends, or holidays. The nurse must maintain a flexible schedule to allow for clinic coverage.

Requirements

Graduate of an approved school for registered nurses.
Current Registered Nurse license to practice in the state of employment.
At least three years of experience as a registered nurse, including one to two years working with cardiac patients; experience in a telemetry or coronary care unit is preferred within this requirement.
Direct involvement in education and care of patients with coronary heart disease, including heart failure.
Current BLS certification is required.
Ability to provide care appropriate to the physical, social, educational, safety, and related needs of patients served in the assigned area; these skills may be gained through education, training, or experience.
Effective communication and organizational skills, and evidence of professional development.

Nice To Haves

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification is preferred.
Certification as a Heart Failure Nurse (CHFN) is preferred.

Responsibilities

Assist with the daily operations of the outpatient heart failure clinic.
Maintain quality control of equipment, the crash cart, and refrigerators.
Monitor temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure in the stress MVO2 procedure room.
Monitor telemetry and patient condition during outpatient stress tests.
Manage and monitor patients receiving inotrope infusions in the clinic, calculate doses, and confirm doses using a second method.
Administer medications to outpatients as ordered.
Educate patients about heart failure, treatment, medications, palliative care options, and management of cardiovascular disorders.
Facilitate referrals to dieticians, social services, palliative care, pharmacy, and cardiology as needed.
Communicate with the Advanced Practice Nurse and/or Cardiologist to support optimal patient care.
Perform six-minute hall walk tests, venipuncture, IV access, and medication administration.
Room patients, obtain routine vital signs, and complete reviews of systems.
Document treatment, medical history, medication reconciliation, patient education, and care accurately and according to departmental policy.
Prepare patients for visits and procedures.
Assist with optimizing inpatient heart failure care, identifying patients with heart failure, and facilitating transfer of advanced heart failure patients to the heart failure POD.
Identify inpatients eligible for heart failure clinic referral and facilitate referrals and appointments.
Collect data on inpatient heart failure patients and provide inpatient education.
Call discharged heart failure patients within 72 hours and ensure and document an appointment with home health, the heart failure clinic, or a cardiologist within seven days of discharge.
Initiate advanced cardiac life support measures according to SAMC protocols during cardiac emergencies.
Follow exercise protocols and respond appropriately to adverse reactions.
Recommend program changes, updates, or revisions to the heart failure nurse manager to promote quality care.
Help represent and promote the heart failure program to the community and hospital or medical staff.
Maintain familiarity with ACC/AHA heart failure guidelines and current standards of practice and clinical and inpatient protocols.
Promote interdepartmental cooperation and act as a liaison in problem-solving for assigned programs.
Communicate identified problems to the heart failure nurse manager and patient problems to appropriate referring physicians in a timely manner.
Maintain required certification, pursue further development in heart failure care, and perform miscellaneous duties as assigned in the absence of the nurse manager or supervisor.

Benefits

Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, behavioral health, and telemedicine coverage.
Wellbeing support, including free counseling and referral services.
Paid time off, paid family leave, long- and short-term disability coverage, and leaves of absence.
401(k) plan with a 100% match on 3% to 9% of pay, based on years of service.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
Flexible spending accounts.
Preferred banking partnerships, retirement readiness tools, rollover support, and financial wellbeing counseling.
Tuition assistance, student loan assistance, certification support, dependent scholarships, and a partnership with Galen College of Nursing.
Fertility and family-building benefits and adoption assistance.
Life insurance and supplemental health protection plans.
Auto and home insurance, legal counseling, identity theft protection, and consumer discounts.