Oncology RN Navigator

Description

Job Overview: The Oncology Nurse Navigator (ONN) is a disease group specific expert who meets the individual supportive care needs of patients by making proactive and recurring risk-based touchpoints to identify and eliminate barriers to care from the point of the new patient visit (NPV) through completion of active treatment. Additionally, the ONN supports a coordinated transition into survivorship and/or end of life care. The ONN reinforces treatment plans with patients and caregivers by providing education related to planned and potential care pathways, reinforcing pre/post-op teaching, chemotherapy and immunotherapy teaching, and radiation therapy teaching, on an as needed basis. The ONN may support at home symptom management with referral back to the primary medical team for escalation to the appropriate level of care. Additionally, the ONN collaborates with the multi-disciplinary team to ensure timely completion of care during care transitions, supports patients with difficult decision making for genetic testing, participates in tumor board conferences, and collaborates with the testing center staff to identify patients interested in research studies. Where the ONN is referred for services that are out of the scope of nursing navigation, the ONN provides a more appropriate professional referral and then oversees throughput on that recommendation to ensure needed support is provided in a timely manner. The ONN actively evaluates current navigation practice and seeks opportunity to engage in quality improvement efforts to advance both individual practice and the navigation program at large in alignment with evidence-based studies to improve the overall patient experience and clinical outcomes. Additional duties as assigned. Qualification Requirements: MINIMUM EDUCATION: Bachelors degree in Nursing required and Graduate of an accredited school of nursing MINIMUM EXPERIENCE: Preferred experience: 3 years within oncology, with at least 1 year in assigned disease group JUDGEMENT: E.g., Employee may work independently under the general direction of their leader. The employee is expected to exercise independent judgment and critical thinking in managing patient care and navigating complex healthcare systems. The ONN will work independently under the general direction of their leader, utilizing their expertise to make informed decisions about patient education, care coordination, and barrier identification. While collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, the ONN must independently prioritize tasks, make clinical assessments, and take appropriate actions to ensure optimal patient outcomes in alignment with organizational protocols and best practices. LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION: Active Georgia (GA) nursing license, eligible for licensure in GA. Active compact/multistate license (eNLC) within 60-days of hire BLS or ACLS Required: BLS Other: OCN, AOCN, APN, CBCN, or BMTCN certification preferred, required within 24 months Other Requirements (if applicable): Participates in a department level quality improvement project annually. Must complete a minimum of 12 CEUs annually with a focus on disease group specialty if certification is not already disease group specific. JOB DESCRIPTION: Key Responsibility Category: Regular Touchpoints at Care Transitions Responsibility Description: Ensure regular, proactive touchpoints with patients at every major care transition to provide consistent support and guidance throughout their oncology journey. Each patient must receive a minimum of five scheduled touchpoints during key transitions such as diagnosis, treatment initiation, treatment modality change, post-treatment, and survivorship or end-of-life planning, with additional touchpoints provided as needed based on the patients condition and needs (PRN). Collaborate closely with the multidisciplinary team to receive referrals from various pathways and integrate the navigation team's efforts to address patient-specific barriers, ensuring seamless care coordination and enhanced patient outcomes. Key Responsibility Category: Provide Patient and Caregiver Education Responsibility Description: Offer education and support to patients and their caregivers about their treatment plans, including pre/post-operative care, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy, and manage home symptom care as needed. Key Responsibility Category: Identify and Eliminate Barriers to Care Responsibility Description: Proactively identify potential barriers to patient care, such as logistical issues, insurance problems, or knowledge gaps, and work to eliminate these barriers to facilitate timely and effective treatment. Key Responsibility Category: Collaborate with Multidisciplinary Teams Responsibility Description: Work closely with oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, genetic counselors, and other healthcare professionals to develop comprehensive, patient-centered care plans, including participation in tumor board meetings an