RN, Oncology Navigator

Shenandoah Medical Center•Shenandoah, IA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The RN, Oncology Navigator serves as a clinical expert in the assessment of the oncology patient population, acting as a patient advocate and providing high-level patient, family, and caregiver education. This role involves coordinating departmental operations, communicating effectively with healthcare teams, and ensuring adherence to policies and procedures for patient and staff safety. The position requires problem-solving, decision-making, and prioritization skills in a dynamic environment, always keeping patient needs paramount. The RN Oncology Navigator participates in quality and process improvement initiatives, tracks metrics, and evaluates data for community needs assessments to enhance the patient navigation process. They promote a patient- and family-centered care environment, establish professional boundaries, and utilize the nursing process for comprehensive patient care, including assessments, care planning, interventions, and evaluation. Collaboration with healthcare providers is key to coordinating medical and nursing management, reinforcing education, and facilitating timely access to care. The role also involves performing emergency treatments, maintaining accurate documentation, and ensuring patient and staff safety through medication administration, proper procedures, and infection control measures.

Requirements

RN scope of practice
Competent, professional and compassionate patient care
Effective communication and listening skills
Ability to use proper body mechanics; transfer/lifting techniques
Knowledge of standard precautions
Ability to use two patient identifiers
Ability to perform medication reconciliation/regimen review
Ability to implement infectious disease controls including isolation procedures
Ability to perform proper hand washing and use gloves
Ability to follow proper procedures for wasting narcotics and disposal of sharps and hazardous materials

Nice To Haves

Clinical expert in the assessment of the oncology patient population
Patient advocate
High skill in patient, family and caregiver education
Effective communication with other health care team members and departments
Monitors adherence to policy and procedure
Assists in maintaining equipment and outdated supplies
Reports malfunctioning equipment
Re-orders supplies
Keeps management informed of patient care and staff issues
Problem-solves and makes decisions
Prioritizes tasks
Uses good judgment
Negotiates effectively
Serves as a resource for staff
Listens effectively
Processes key information
Promotes trust
Communicates organizational management decisions positively
Recognizes impacts of decisions
Participates in quality and process improvement initiatives
Participates in tracking of metrics and patient outcomes
Performs and evaluates data for community needs assessment
Identifies areas of improvement
Promotes patient- and family-centered care
Ethical decision making
Advocacy for patients with cancer
Establishes and maintains professional role boundaries
Utilizes the nursing process
Performs complete admission assessment
Performs comprehensive nursing assessments
Conducts full body system analysis
Administers and performs nursing assessment
Develops a comprehensive plan of care
Reviews, discusses and implements health care provider orders
Recognizes abnormal symptoms/changes in patient condition
Establishes priorities
Takes appropriate action
Evaluates patient progress
Demonstrates personal accountability
Collaborates with healthcare providers
Coordinates medical and nursing management
Promotes team concept
Provides and reinforces education
Orients and educates patients, families and caregivers
Works effectively with ancillary areas
Directs patient support team members
Demonstrates initiative and flexibility
Identifies potential and realized barriers to care
Facilitates referrals
Facilitates timely scheduling of appointments, diagnostic testing, and procedures
Promotes continuity of care
Participates in coordination of the plan of care
Promotes timely followup on treatment and supportive care recommendations
Assists in identification of candidates for genetic counseling
Supports smooth transition of patients
Informs and involves Manager
Assists in making patient assignments
Coordinates admissions
Meets staffing needs
Performs emergency treatment
Initiates or assists in patient care
Triages emergency situations
Administers and performs emergent care
Follows emergency policies, procedures and protocols
Performs and maintains documentation
Documents accurate and ongoing assessments
Documents nursing interventions, patient responses, patient teaching and status of outcomes at discharge
Performs quality assurance reviews
Completes patient call-back education calls
Builds therapeutic and trusting relationships
Acts as a liaison
Communicates and collaborates effectively with other health team members
Identifies and recognizes abnormal symptoms/changes in patient condition
Appropriately reports condition changes and plan of care to medical provider
Implements physician orders
Facilitates communication among members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team
Prevents fragmented or delayed care
Promotes and ensures patient and staff safety
Administers medications and hazardous drugs, treatments and procedures
Completes medication reconciliation/regimen review with each patient visit and during interdisciplinary team meetings
Communicates updates/changes to medications to the medical provider

Responsibilities

Meets or exceeds patient care requirements by coordinating the operations within the Department.
Serves as a clinical expert in the assessment of the oncology patient population.
Serves as a patient advocate.
Demonstrates high skill in patient, family and caregiver education.
Communicates with other health care team members and departments to meet patient care requirements.
Monitors adherence to policy and procedure to ensure safety of patients and staff.
Assists in maintaining equipment and outdated supplies for patient care.
Report malfunctioning equipment to appropriate personnel.
Re-order supplies as needed.
Keeps management informed of patient care and staff issues.
Problem-solves and makes decisions within areas of accountability by using a well-defined approach to ensure effective and efficient patient care.
Prioritize tasks; patient scheduling, referrals, staffing, quality or other operational issues in changing environment.
Keep patient needs in the forefront when evaluating alternatives.
Use good judgment when making independent decisions.
Negotiate effectively while maintaining positive relationships.
Serve as a resource for staff in solving clinical, regulatory and operations issues.
Listen effectively and processes key information.
Promote trust with open and effective communication.
Communicate organizational management decisions in a positive manner.
Recognize impacts of decisions made.
Participate in quality and process improvement initiatives for the department.
Participates in the tracking of metrics and patient outcomes, in collaboration with administration to perform and evaluate data for the community needs assessment to identify areas of improvement that will affect the patient navigation process and program and participate in quality improvement based on identified service gaps.
Promotes a patient- and family-centered care environment for ethical decision making and advocacy for patients with cancer.
Establishes and maintains professional role boundaries with patients, caregivers and the multidisciplinary care team in collaboration with manager.
Utilize the nursing process, for the performance of patient care, to assess, plan, intervene, and evaluate patient care to achieve prioritized patient outcomes according to the RN scope of practice in collaboration with regulations.
Perform complete admission assessment.
Perform comprehensive nursing assessments in an efficient and effective manner.
Conduct full body system analysis.
Administer and performs nursing assessment in accordance with the applicable patient type.
Develop a comprehensive plan of care according to assessment.
Review, discusses and implements health care provider orders appropriately and takes appropriate measures if there are questions.
Recognize abnormal symptoms/changes in patient condition, establishes priorities and takes appropriate action.
Evaluate patient progress toward desired outcomes prior to discharge or release.
Demonstrate personal accountability in the delivery of patient care in a competent, professional and compassionate manner.
Collaborate with healthcare providers to coordinate medical and nursing management of patient care.
Promote team concept through effective communication regarding patient condition, patient care plan and patient satisfaction with appropriate individuals that are involved in the patient's care.
Provides and reinforces education to patients, families, and caregivers about diagnosis, treatment options, side effect management, and post-treatment care and survivorship.
Orients and educates patients, families and caregivers to the cancer healthcare system, multidisciplinary team member roles and available resources.
As part of the multidisciplinary team, provides education and reinforces to patients, families, and caregivers the significance of adherence to treatment schedules, protocols, and follow-up.
Work effectively with ancillary areas as part of the team approach to patient care.
Direct patient support team members effectively and appropriately.
Demonstrate initiative and flexibility in the provision of patient care.
Identify potential and realized barriers to care and facilitate referrals as appropriate to mitigate barriers.
Facilitates timely scheduling of appointments, diagnostic testing, and procedures to expedite the plan of care and to promote continuity of care.
Participates in coordination of the plan of care with the multidisciplinary team, promoting timely followup on treatment and supportive care recommendations.
Assists in the identification of candidates for genetic counseling and facilitates appropriate referrals.
Supports a smooth transition of patients from active treatment into survivorship or end-of-life care.
Inform and involves Manager regarding patient care issues in a timely and appropriately manner.
Assist in making patient assignments, coordinating admissions, and meeting staffing needs for patient visits.
Perform emergency treatment as required in accordance with RN scope of practice.
Initiate or assist in patient care in an effective and responsive manner as each situation requires.
Triage each emergency situation appropriately and involves other resources as appropriate.
Administer and performs emergent care in accordance with the applicable patient population type which may range from newborn to geriatrics.
Follow emergency policies, procedures and protocols in an effective manner.
Performs and maintains documentation.
Document accurate and ongoing assessments of patient status that reflect nursing interventions, patient responses, patient teaching and status of outcomes at discharge.
Perform quality assurance reviews as assigned and documents.
Complete patient call-back education calls and documents as assigned.
Communicates effectively.
Builds therapeutic and trusting relationships with patients, families, and caregivers through effective communication and listening skills.
Acts as a liaison between the patients, families, and caregivers and the providers to optimize patient.
Communicate and collaborate effectively with other health team members regarding patient condition, nursing plan of care, patient satisfaction needs and recommendations for meeting identified outcomes.
Identify and recognize abnormal symptoms/changes in patient condition, established priorities, and takes appropriate action.
Appropriately reports condition changes and plan of care to medical provider and implements physician orders according to policy.
Facilitates communication among member of the multidisciplinary cancer care team to prevent fragmented or delayed care that could adversely affect patient outcomes.
Promotes and ensures patient and staff safety in all aspects of responsibilities.
Administer medications and hazardous drugs, treatments and procedures in a timely and safe manner according to health care provider orders and nursing policy, including appropriate performance of standard precautions, using two patient identifiers, and completes the medication reconciliation/regimen review with each patient visit and during interdisciplinary team meetings.
Any updates/changes to the medications are communicated to the medical provider.
Utilize proper body mechanics; transfer/lifting techniques to minimize fall risk to patient and injury to self.
Implement infectious disease controls as appropriate including isolation procedures, proper use of hand washing and gloves.
Follow proper procedures for wasting narcotics and disposal of sharps and hazardous materials according to policy.
Documentation of narcotic waste is completed.
Performs other duties as assigned.