Nurse Navigator

UPMC; Harrisburg (Dauphin County); On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

UPMC Neurosurgery – Central PA in Harrisburg is seeking a Nurse Navigator to guide patients through the neurosurgical process, providing education, coordinating care, and serving as a vital link between patients and their care team before and after surgery. Schedule is Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday, 7:30 a.m.

to 4:00 p.m. No weekends or holidays; approximately 10% travel to support other office locations. Location: UPMC Neurosurgery – Central PA, 205 S.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with current PA license and experience in care coordination.

Responsibilities

• Assist with preoperative chart preparation and review surgeons’ schedules.
• Guide patients through the surgical process by coordinating care, addressing needs, and ensuring follow-up.
• Provide comprehensive preoperative education to prepare patients for surgery and support outcomes.
• Collaborate with surgeons, APPs, staff nurses, and schedulers for coordinated patient care and efficient workflows.
• Cross-train in staff nurse responsibilities to support team coverage.
• Conduct post-operative nurse visits for suture removals.
• Respond to time-sensitive clinical inquiries from patients and staff, enabling timely communication and follow-up.

Job description

Nurse Navigator – UPMC Neurosurgery

UPMC Neurosurgery is seeking a compassionate and experienced Nurse Navigator to join our Central PA team in Harrisburg. In this role, you’ll help guide patients through the neurosurgical process, providing education, coordinating care, and serving as an important connection between patients and their care team before and after surgery.

Schedule: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. No weekends or holidays! Approximately 10% travel is required to support other office locations.

Location: UPMC Neurosurgery – Central PA, 205 S. Front St., 6th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17104

What You’ll Do:

• Assist with preoperative chart preparation and review of surgeons’ schedules.
• Guide patients through the surgical process by coordinating care, addressing needs, and ensuring appropriate follow-up.
• Provide comprehensive preoperative education to prepare patients for surgery and support optimal outcomes.
• Collaborate with surgeons, Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), staff nurses, and surgery schedulers to ensure coordinated patient care and efficient workflows.
• Cross-train in staff nurse responsibilities to support team coverage and continuity of care.
• Conduct post-operative nurse visits for suture removals.
• Respond to time-sensitive clinical inquiries from patients and staff, facilitating timely communication, assessment, and follow-up as appropriate.

If you’re an experienced RN who enjoys patient education, care coordination, and helping patients feel informed and supported throughout their surgical journey, consider joining UPMC Neurosurgery – Central PA as a Nurse Navigator.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team in guiding the patient and family in regard to diagnostic and treatment options. Provides emotional support specialized patient care, support and educational needs. Assumes the role of care coordinator and patient advocate throughout the process.
• Uses all components of the nursing process, to provide comprehensive nursing care, support and education to patients and their families during screening and diagnostic tests, treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation.
• Provides expert knowledge of specialty (i.e. women's, breast health, oncology, etc.) issues to health care professionals and patients/families. Works closely with the interdisciplinary team to meet the education and development needs of the professional and ancillary staff.
• Possesses the ability to obtain and interpret information considering age specific needs. Provides health promotion, disease prevention, and nursing care while cognizant of age, developmental status, culture, ethnicity, and sexual orientation to individual patients and members of the community.
• Integrates current research findings and technology into practice, performance improvement, and education as appropriate.
• Participates in the evaluation of patient care and programs through quality improvement activities. Identifies and coordinates performance improvement activities, including monitoring, evaluation, and development of appropriate outcomes; participates in processes to implement change.
• Monitors changes in legislation and regulations to assure that effective actions are taken in a timely and consistent manner.
• Demonstrates UPMC's commitment to service excellence by understanding the needs of patients, their families, physicians and co-workers and doing what is required the first time, every time by being responsible, sensitive, accurate, timely, coordinated and thorough
• Assesses and addresses the educational needs of individual patients and members of the community as a whole, in regard to health issues with an emphasis on specialty practice. Participates in the evaluation and development of patient education materials and provides individualized teaching based on needs of the patients and the community.
• Provides staff development and serves as a clinical resource and consultant to members of the interdisciplinary team, identifying additional resources as needed.
• Coordinates tests, treatments, referrals and appointments as necessary to meet the physical, spiritual and psycho-social needs of the patient and family. Provides clinical support and patient care during procedures.
• Works as a team member to plan, develop, market and implement community health and wellness educational programming and health care services, with an emphasis on specialty care.