RN Patient Navigator, Oncology, Full Time, First Shift

UC Health (Cincinnati); Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

UC Health (Cincinnati) seeks a Patient Navigator educated in nursing or social services to manage neuroscience patients and navigate the health system.

The navigator coordinates care across the continuum, assists with admissions, referrals, and discharge planning, and provides ongoing education and support to patients and families throughout the hospital stay.

Qualifications

• Educated in nursing or social services.
• Trained in neuroscience patient management.
• Ability to navigate a complex academic health system.
• Capacity to provide consultation, collaboration, coordination and support to neuroscience patients.

Responsibilities

• Assess physical, psychological and social needs of neuroscience patients.
• Coordinate admission and inpatient care across units 4NE, 4W, and NSICU.
• Facilitate referrals, consultations and diagnostics.
• Coordinate care with social services, home health, PT, OT, Speech Pathology and the Unit Charge Nurse.
• Ensure patient and family are informed and involved in the plan of care.
• Attend daily patient rounds on relevant units and introduce team members and roles.
• Meet patients/families in ED/PACU when beds are not immediately available and discuss options.
• Greet and guide admissions to UCNI when possible and update on bed openings.
• Support discharge planning and provide post-discharge follow-up and education.
• Offer tours to patients and families upon admission or early in stay to orient them.
• Assist with discharge preparations and participate in departmental committees and clinical teaching.
• Promote and model Service Excellence and maintain effective relationships with staff and departments.

Job description

The Patient Navigator is an individual educated in nursing or social services that has acquired training, knowledge and clinical/social service skills in the management of neuroscience patients and the ability to navigate the complex academic health system. The PN will serve as a coordinator throughout the continuum of care and will assess the physical, psychological and social needs of neuroscience patients. This person provides consultation, collaboration, coordination and support to neuroscience patients as outlined below.

PATIENT POPULATION - (CLINICAL ONLY):

• Engages in population appropriate communication.
• Has knowledge of growth and development milestones and tasks.
• Gives clear instructions to patients/family regarding treatment.
• Involves family/guardian in the assessment, initial treatment and continuing care of the patient.
• Identifies any physical limitations of the patient and deploys intervention when necessary.
• Recognizes and responds appropriately to patients/families with behavioral health problems.
• Interprets population related data and plans care appropriately.
• Identifies and responds appropriately to different needs resulting from, unique psychological needs or those associated with religious / cultural norms. Performs treatments, administers medication or operates equipment safely.
• Recognizes and responds to signs/symptoms of abuse or neglect.

FACILITATION OF TIMELY, FRIENDLY, COURTESY AND PROFESSIONAL ADMISSION AND INPATIENT CARE:

• Critically assess/triage/prioritize patients before transfer from Surgery/PACU, et al and discuss with faculty and staff as needed to facilitate rapid inpatient admission onto 4NE, 4W, and NSICU based on patient condition and resource availability on unit(s).
• Contact Center for Emergency Care (CEC) Faculty and Staff as needed to facilitate rapid triage and admission of 4NE, 4W, and NSICU patients.
• Facilitate referrals, consultations and diagnostics.
• Coordinate care with other team members such as social service, home health, PT, OT, Speech Pathology and the Unit Charge Nurse.
• Ensure patient and family are informed and involved in the plan of care.
• Attend daily patient rounds on 4NE, 4W, and NSICU as needed.
• Introduce patients/families to UCNI nurses, clinicians, support staff, etc. and briefly explain each member's role in the patient's overall care as needed.
• Meet ED/PACU patients and families in the ED/PACU when beds are not immediately available. Inform them of their options and provide them reasons why we wish to have the patient admitted to UCNI to make it worth their wait.
• When able, meet, greet and guide all direct and elective hospital admissions to UCNI.
• Continuously update patients/family members on progress made in opening bed for admission. Provide patients/family with a number to contact while waiting.

Offers Support to the Discharge Planning Process and Patient/Family Education:

• Assist as requested to facilitate referrals, consultations and diagnostics.
• Invite questions that the patient/family may have and arrange for someone to answer those which you are not equipped to answer.
• Provide on-going support after patients are discharged through periodic phone calls and/or facilitation of office visits and diagnostics.
• Offer tours to patients and families upon admission or early in their hospital stay to make them comfortable with their surroundings. Orient as much as possible by showing patients and family members where to go to visit patients on subsequent visits when it is known that the patients will need such services.
• Assist unit nurses as needed with discharge preparations, e.g., gathering prescriptions, meds from home, discharge instructions, take home supplies, et al, when nurses busy or arranging multiple discharges.
• Serve on committees relating to adult medical/surgical care and participate in appropriate medical center and community activities.
• Participate in self-evaluation and peer review through such mechanisms as case review and collection of practice statistics.
• Serve as an educator for personnel, patient, families and communities.
• Participate in clinical teaching upon request.
• Promote and model departmental expectations meeting the goals and objectives of the hospital Service Excellence program.
• Establish and maintain effective interpersonal relationships and communication with staff and various hospital departments and community agencies.

About UC Health

UC Health is an integrated academic health system serving Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. In partnership with the University of Cincinnati, UC Health combines clinical expertise and compassion with research and teaching-a combination that provides patients with options for even the most complex situations. Members of UC Health include: UC Medical Center, West Chester Hospital, University of Cincinnati Physicians and UC Health Ambulatory Services (with more than 900 board-certified clinic