Registered Nurse - Inpatient Nurse Navigator

Veterans Health Administration • Madison, WI

2d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located within Nursing Service at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. The Inpatient Nurse Navigator serves as a clinical leader and patient advocate, bridging patients, families, and the interdisciplinary healthcare team to support safe, timely, coordinated patient progression across the continuum of care.

The RN combines hands-on clinical expertise with proactive care coordination. The Nurse Navigator conducts physical rounds with interdisciplinary teams, identifies and resolves barriers to patient progression, facilitates real-time communication among care team members, and serves as a consistent point of contact for patients and families throughout their episode of care. The role is highly visible on the unit and requires close engagement with the care team and a commitment to timely, well-coordinated, patient-centered care. It is suited to an experienced inpatient RN who excels at communication and collaboration and is interested in improving patient flow, care coordination, and the Veteran experience.

The position is at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin. The schedule is Monday through Friday, on an A.M./day shift with varying start times. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized.

Applicants must meet the applicable nursing education and licensure requirements, including graduation from an appropriately accredited school of professional nursing or an eligible equivalent pathway, and current, full, active, unrestricted RN registration in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. Basic written and spoken English proficiency is required for direct patient care. A Graduate Nurse Technician appointment may be available in specified circumstances for otherwise-qualified candidates pursuing licensure.

The posting describes grade determinations from Nurse I through Nurse III, based on education, professional nursing experience, and the relevant scope and dimension criteria. Preferred experience includes recent inpatient nursing experience, ideally in acute care, medical-surgical, or progressive care, along with experience in care coordination or patient navigation. Familiarity with discharge planning, post-acute care, transitions, patient flow, length-of-stay management, and removing barriers to timely care progression is also preferred.

The role entails physical activity normally associated with nursing and direct patient care, including potentially long periods of walking, standing, and sitting, moderate lifting, repeated bending, or kneeling. Safe patient handling and mobility protocols are used. VA employment conditions include U.S. citizenship subject to the stated exception, background and security investigation, pre-employment physical evaluation, applicable drug testing, seasonal influenza vaccination, and possible probationary service.

Requirements

• Demonstrated proficiency in basic written and spoken English.
• Graduate of an appropriately accredited school of professional nursing, or an eligible equivalent education pathway as described in the posting.
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted RN registration in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, subject to the stated Graduate Nurse Technician exception.
• Meet the applicable grade-level education and professional nursing experience requirements for the Nurse I, Nurse II, or Nurse III assignment.
• Meet VA employment conditions, including applicable citizenship requirements, background/security investigation, pre-employment physical evaluation, applicable drug testing, and seasonal influenza vaccination.
• Preferred experience: 2–3 years of recent inpatient nursing experience, preferably in acute care, medical-surgical, or progressive care.
• Preferred demonstrated experience in care coordination, patient navigation, or active interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Preferred familiarity with discharge planning, post-acute care coordination, communication with receiving facilities or caregivers, and safe inpatient transitions.
• Preferred familiarity with patient flow, length-of-stay management, and identifying and removing barriers to timely care progression.
• Preferred exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, including building trust, facilitating difficult conversations, and working across healthcare teams, patients, families, frontline staff, and senior leadership.
• Preferred critical thinking and problem-solving skills to assess complex clinical situations, anticipate barriers, and develop timely solutions.
• Preferred organizational skills to manage multiple priorities across a complex patient population.
• Preferred ability to work autonomously using independent clinical judgment while remaining collaborative with the interdisciplinary team.

Nice To Haves

• Two to three years of recent inpatient nursing experience, preferably in acute care, medical-surgical, or progressive care.
• Experience in care coordination, patient navigation, or active interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Familiarity with discharge planning, post-acute care coordination, receiving-facility or caregiver communication, and safe transitions from inpatient care.
• Familiarity with patient flow, length-of-stay management, and strategies for removing barriers to timely care progression.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, including building trust and facilitating difficult conversations.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to work autonomously while contributing collaboratively to the interdisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate safe, timely, and effective patient progression across the continuum of care through assessment, interdisciplinary collaboration, and care coordination.
• Participate in interdisciplinary rounds to identify barriers to patient progression and facilitate timely interventions.
• Engage with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team members to assess needs, resolve barriers, and support clinical decision-making.
• Liaise among patients, families, and the care team to promote a shared understanding of the care plan, goals, and discharge needs.
• Support safe and timely patient discharge, including hand-off communication, post-acute care needs, and other discharge activities within training and facility policy.
• Collaborate with House Supervisors, LIPs, and organizational leaders to promote efficient patient flow and optimize resource utilization.
• Participate in quality and performance improvement initiatives and support patient-centered, high-quality care.
• Demonstrate VA I CARE values and high reliability principles in practice.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, and potential performance awards.
• 50 days of paid time off per year, consisting of 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid Federal holidays.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree