RN - NURSE NAVIGATOR

UHS•Laredo, TX

3h•Onsite

About The Position

Doctors Hospital of Laredo, in Laredo, TX, is a 183-bed acute care facility that offers a range of medical services. The Surgical Services Nurse Navigator is a registered nurse responsible for coordinating surgical and procedural care across Surgical Services, including Cath Lab, Interventional Radiology, Surgery, Endoscopy, and Minor Procedures. This position serves as a liaison between patients, families, physician offices, surgeons, proceduralists, scheduling, pre-assessment, anesthesia, and community resources to support safe, timely, and organized care before, during, and after procedures.

Requirements

Current Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of Texas required.
BSN required
BLS certification
At least 1-2 years experience in oncology nursing
Oncology Nurse Navigator Certification required or obtained within 1 year
Minimum of two years of clinical nursing experience required.
Must demonstrate strong communication, organization, follow-up, customer service, critical thinking, and teamwork skills.
Must be able to work professionally with physicians, office staff, patients, families, and multidisciplinary hospital teams.
Ability to effectively communicate in English both verbally and in writing.

Nice To Haves

MSN preferred
National Certification in Oncology preferred
Experience in surgical services, pre-assessment, case management, or care coordination preferred.
Knowledge of surgical/procedural workflows, preoperative requirements, medical clearances, patient education, scheduling barriers, community resources, confidentiality, and regulatory expectations related to patient care coordination preferred.
Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

Responsibilities

Serves as the primary communication link between Surgical Services and physician offices to facilitate case scheduling, case readiness, patient instructions, required documentation, and timely resolution of barriers that may delay procedures.
Works side by side with the scheduling and pre-assessment teams to review upcoming cases, identify required clearances, testing, history and physicals, cardiac or medical appointments, labs, imaging, authorizations, and other preoperative or pre-procedure needs.
Supports patients and families by providing education, helping coordinate appointments, addressing access barriers, and connecting patients with appropriate community resources such as transportation, financial assistance, primary care, specialty care, and post-procedure support.
Builds and maintains strong working relationships with community physicians, specialists, office staff, proceduralists, and internal hospital departments to improve communication, increase appropriate referrals, and support a positive patient and provider experience.
Tracks patient progress through the surgical/procedural pathway, follows up on pending items, escalates concerns to leadership or the clinical team as needed, and promotes safe, efficient throughout across Cath Lab, IR, Surgery, Endoscopy, and Minor Procedures.
Other duties may be assigned based on departmental needs and within the RN scope of practice.