Orthopedic Nurse Navigator
FutureSoft Consulting Inc•Salinas, CA
•Onsite
About The Position
We are seeking an experienced Orthopedic Nurse Navigator for a travel contract assignment in Salinas, California. This role is ideal for a Registered Nurse with a strong orthopedic background, experience coordinating care across multiple departments, and the ability to guide patients throughout the orthopedic care journey. The Orthopedic Nurse Navigator will serve as a central point of coordination for orthopedic patients, helping patients move efficiently from diagnosis and preoperative preparation through treatment, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and follow-up care. Candidates should have at least 4 years of clinical nursing experience, recent orthopedic experience, strong knowledge of regulatory and quality standards, and recent hands-on experience using Epic.
Requirements
- Active Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of California
- Minimum 4 years of clinical nursing experience
- Recent clinical experience in orthopedics
- Experience with program development and implementation
- Current BLS / Healthcare Provider certification through the American Heart Association
- Orthopedic Nurse Certification through the Orthopaedic Nurses Certification Board or another relevant specialty certification
- Recent Epic experience, with approximately 6–12 months of hands-on Epic use within the past year
- Strong knowledge of orthopedic patient-care pathways
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent coordination and problem-solving abilities
- Ability to work effectively with patients, physicians, clinical staff, and community resources
- Nursing degree from an accredited nursing program
- Strong understanding of The Joint Commission (TJC) Disease-Specific Certification requirements
- Strong understanding of Healthcare quality and regulatory standards
- Strong understanding of Patient safety initiatives
- Strong understanding of Clinical documentation requirements
- Strong understanding of Quality-improvement processes
- Strong understanding of Performance measurement
- Strong understanding of Evidence-based orthopedic care pathways
- Strong understanding of Program compliance and continuous improvement
- Comfortable with Orthopedic nursing
- Comfortable with Patient navigation
- Comfortable with Care coordination
- Comfortable with Orthopedic surgery pathways
- Comfortable with Preoperative patient preparation
- Comfortable with Postoperative care coordination
- Comfortable with Discharge planning
- Comfortable with Patient education
- Comfortable with Rehabilitation coordination
- Comfortable with Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Comfortable with Program development
- Comfortable with Quality improvement
- Comfortable with Regulatory compliance
- Comfortable with Epic documentation
- Comfortable with Microsoft Word
- Comfortable with Microsoft Excel
- Comfortable with Patient tracking and follow-up
- Comfortable with Problem solving and workflow coordination
Nice To Haves
- Bachelor's Degree in Nursing / BSN preferred
- Candidates with an Associate Degree in Nursing may be considered when supported by appropriate experience, licensure, and specialty qualifications
- Clinical Nurse Specialist certification
- Nurse Practitioner certification
- Extensive orthopedic nursing experience
- Experience developing or managing orthopedic service-line programs
- Joint replacement or orthopedic surgery program experience
- Experience coordinating multidisciplinary patient-care pathways
- Experience with quality improvement and accreditation initiatives
- Previous nurse navigator or patient navigator experience
- Experience in an acute-care hospital environment
Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary clinical point of contact for orthopedic patients throughout their continuum of care.
- Coordinate care between patients, physicians, surgeons, nursing teams, rehabilitation services, case management, and other departments.
- Guide patients through preoperative, inpatient, postoperative, rehabilitation, and follow-up phases of orthopedic care.
- Educate patients and families regarding procedures, recovery expectations, medications, rehabilitation, and discharge planning.
- Identify barriers that may delay or interfere with treatment and coordinate appropriate resources.
- Facilitate timely referrals, appointments, testing, consultations, and follow-up care.
- Track patient progress and ensure continuity of care across departments and care settings.
- Collaborate with orthopedic surgeons and clinical teams to support evidence-based care pathways.
- Assist with development, implementation, and improvement of orthopedic programs and patient-care initiatives.
- Support quality-improvement and performance-monitoring activities.
- Maintain accurate clinical documentation in Epic.
- Monitor orthopedic program outcomes and identify opportunities for process improvement.
- Support compliance with hospital policies, clinical standards, and regulatory requirements.
- Participate in interdisciplinary meetings, care conferences, and program-development initiatives.
- Help ensure patients understand their treatment plans and have access to appropriate support resources.
- Coordinate with rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, case management, and discharge planning teams as needed.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
Associate degree
