Nurse Navigator

The Mays Cancer Center Nurse Navigator assesses and manages barriers to care to improve the timeliness, quality, and clinical outcomes of care, and the patient experience. Promotes continuity, multi-disciplinary cancer care and thereby creates a cost-effective value-based environment through integrating functions of case management, utilization review, clinical competence, and discharge planning. Responsible for providing individualized assistance to patients, families, and caregivers, as well as internal and external staff and providers.

Provides support and expertise through comprehensive assessment, planning, implementation and overall evaluation of individual patient needs; accountable for management of barriers to timely care, care coordination and discharge planning of all disease site specific navigated patients. Facilitates the tumor board (TB) experience and communicates with the TB director to ensure a TB note is documented for each case presented. Coordinates the integration of social services, financial counselors, and supportive care resources into the patient care, discharge, home planning processes, external service organizations, agencies and health care facilities.

Offers education and guidance surrounding the treatment plan, care team, and resources available to the patient and family. Navigates patients through the diagnostic evaluation. Educates and supports each patient empowering them to make informed treatment decisions.

Remains a support system throughout the patient's treatment and may be called back into the patients care to resume navigation once discharged from initial navigation services. Communicates with physicians, advanced practice providers and entire team at regular intervals and develops effective working relationships; assists physicians to maintain appropriate program value-based care throughout to ensure the highest clinical outcomes. Acts as patient advocate; investigates and reports adverse occurrences; measures, documents and reports on quality, clinical, and system improvement metrics associated with the disease site navigated population.

Maintains outcome driven analysis for disease site data reporting and presentation. Assists, in collaboration with the disease site specific medical director, review for appropriate utilization of services from admission through discharge; ensures that patient tests are appropriate and necessary, completed within the established time frame and that results are promptly available. Performs staff education related to resource utilization, barrier management, discharge planning and psychosocial aspects of health care delivery.

Compliments patient education, provided by faculty and staff, related to disease pathology and treatment plan. Performs all other duties as assigned. Knowledge as Registered Nurse in a clinical care setting.

Intermediate Good interpersonal skills. Intermediate Utilizes influencing/motivational interviewing skills. Intermediate Ability to speak, read, write, and communicate effectively.

Advanced Ability to coordinate, analyze, observe, make decisions, and meet deadlines in a detail-oriented manner. Intermediate Ability to work independently without supervision. Advanced Ability to manage multiple priorities, effective organizational and time management skills along with strong teamwork skills.

Advanced Effective computer skills using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and database software. Intermediate

Education

Bachelors in Nursing required.

Experience

Three (3) years of nursing experience in a clinic or hospital setting is required.

Licenses/

Certifications

Active CPR/BLS required. Active TX Nursing licensure required.