Nurse Navigator - Physician Practice

Hackensack Meridian Health•Hackensack, NJ

About The Position

The Nurse Navigator collaborates with surgeons and/or providers and the broader healthcare team to navigate patient care. This includes ongoing assessment of patients’ and families’ educational, financial, psychosocial, nutritional, and clinical needs; connecting them with resources within the health system and community; assessing eligibility for clinical trials; and facilitating access to care. The role coordinates outpatient care, identifies newly diagnosed patients and offers navigation services, conducts and updates needs assessments, provides education, develops disease-site expertise, tracks patients through diagnostic and treatment services, and documents activities in the medical record. For applicable patients, the Nurse Navigator prepares and discusses survivorship care plans. The role also builds relationships with physicians and other care professionals, supports multidisciplinary care conferences, participates in quality and certification activities, and may represent program services in community outreach and marketing.

Requirements

Graduate of a licensed school of nursing.
Registered Nurse with at least 5 years of clinical experience in a relevant clinical specialty.
Proficient computer skills, including proficiency in MS Office.
Strong organizational, time-management, and critical-thinking nursing skills.
Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment when interacting with physicians, APNs, patients, and families.
NJ State Professional Registered Nurse License.
BLS AHA Basic Health Care Life Support HCP Certification.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
National certification.

Responsibilities

Coordinate and navigate outpatient care for patients, identify newly diagnosed patients, and offer navigation services.
Conduct initial and ongoing assessments of patient and family needs throughout treatment.
Develop disease-site expertise and provide patient and family education.
Connect patients and families with health-system and community resources, maintain a database of available community resources, and facilitate access to services.
Track patient flow through diagnostic and treatment services and document assessments and follow-up in the medical record.
Provide monthly activity reports to the Director.
For applicable patients, gather information required by the Commission on Cancer and formulate survivorship care plans at the end of treatment.
Distribute and discuss survivorship care plans with patients, families, and appropriate providers according to protocol.
Build and maintain professional relationships with surgeons, physicians, and other professionals involved in patient care.
Communicate with physicians, physician extenders, and office staff about navigation programs and available resources.
Collaborate with the primary provider or surgeon as a patient and family resource from initial consultation through treatment.
Work with physicians and use positive pathology reports to identify patients for applicable multidisciplinary care conferences.
Ensure disease-site or general tumor conferences are prepared, promoted, and documented to support prospective treatment planning.
Participate in appropriate committees, ensure standards are met, and, as applicable, support Joint Commission compliance and certification initiatives.
As applicable, represent program services to the community, collaborate on marketing materials, inform community organizations about services, and participate in relevant community programs.