Oncology Nurse Navigator Life With Cancer

About the role

The Life With Cancer Oncology Nurse Navigator position is full-time, day shift, at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital and Inova Loudoun Hospital locations. This role is exempt and offers benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement matching, tuition assistance, and mental health support.

Responsibilities

• Guides patient and family through the health system from diagnosis, testing, treatment, and follow-up care.
• Coordinates a patient's plan of care, including answering questions, scheduling appointments, and assisting with referrals.
• Provides educational information and advocacy throughout the care process.
• Functions as a contact for internal and external community/family services, helping patients access necessary services like screening, diagnostic treatment, clinical research, support services, and follow-up care.
• Refers cases to appropriate resources for assistance.
• Creates a seamless flow through the health system to facilitate patient care.
• Participates in coordination of the plan of care with the multidisciplinary team, ensuring timely follow-up on treatment and supportive care recommendations.
• Facilitates individualized care considering functional status, cultural considerations, health literacy, psychosocial, reproductive/fertility, and spiritual needs.
• Eliminates barriers to patient's access to healthcare services and facilitates continuity of care.
• Documents, tracks, and monitors patient data.
• Contributes to quality improvement efforts.
• Manages caseload assignment and complex cases.
• Acts as a liaison, advocate, and point of contact to patient/family members, helping them access the best healthcare outcomes.
• Proactively anticipates patient's needs and advocates for patient rights and appropriate utilization of services.
• Advocates for patients to promote patient-centered care that includes shared decision making and patients' goals of care with optimal outcomes.
• Offers individualized assistance to patients, families, and caregivers to help overcome health system barriers.
• Assists patients and families with resolving financial, psychosocial, functional, and administrative issues by advising of options and referring to appropriate resources.
• Develops and maintains effective liaison role between patient and attending, consulting other medical team members.
• Acts as advisor/educator by providing emotional support, counseling, clinical education, resources, and expert guidance to patients and families to promote their ability to understand and meaningfully participate in the healthcare process and personal decision-making.
• Buils therapeutic and trusting working relationships with patient, families, and caregivers.
• Both in groups and individually, educates patients, families, and caregivers about diagnosis, treatment options, side effect management, awareness of clinical trials, post-treatment care, and survivorship.
• Independently conducts ongoing promotion of healthcare programs to community-based resources, developing written materials and public presentations describing activities related to patient care and research.
• Cofacilitates at least one disease-specific support group in area of expertise and participates in community outreach opportunities related to cancer care, as relevant.
• Builds effective working relationships with healthcare providers and community resources to maximize patient outcomes and identify/resolve barriers to the plan of care.
• Conducts comprehensive assessments of the patient's health and psychosocial needs, and develops a care plan in collaboration with healthcare providers and the patient and their support system.
• Collaborates with multidisciplinary team to address patient questions and responses about the care process and treatment options.
• Educates members of the healthcare delivery team regarding treatment options, community resources, self-care management, etc., to facilitate timely and informed decision-making throughout all phases of the treatment/disease continuum process.
• Serves as a clinical consultant to the healthcare team.
• Aids in improving healthcare experience and positive patient outcomes by assisting with patient satisfaction and access to appropriate care or facility.
• Promotes lifelong learning and evidence-based practice by self and other to improve the care of patients with past, current, or potential diagnosis of cancer.
• Collaborates with treating physicians and support staff to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency department visits, or clinic visits and works to improve adherence to treatment through the design and implementation of appropriate patient education and follow-up.

Qualifications

• 3 to 5 years' progressive clinical nursing with primary care management of patient population.
• BSN required.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) through American Heart Association.
• Certification in oncology within 2 years of employment.
• Strong oncology knowledge; basic knowledge of managed care; working knowledge of insurance coverage and procedures; working knowledge of community resources; understanding of health care facilities and processes; strong verbal and written communication skills; strong interpersonal skills; proficient computer skills.
• Previous oncology experience strongly preferred.