Registered Nurse Care Manager (Navigator) – Viral-Specific T-Cell Program

Starting pay range: $81,723.20 - $104,208.00 based on experience, skills, and equity. Additional pay (e.g., shift, on-call, or weekend differentials) and benefits may apply. Annual pay may vary based on FTE status.

About the Role

Cincinnati Children’s is seeking an experienced Registered Nurse Care Manager (Navigator) to support the growing Viral-Specific T-Cell (VST) Program. This position serves as the central clinical coordinator for patients receiving highly specialized cellular therapy and plays a critical role in ensuring safe, timely, and seamless access to treatment. The RN Care Manager (Navigator) will work collaboratively with patients, families, providers, nursing teams, research staff, referring institutions, Hoxworth Cellular Therapy, and other key partners to coordinate care throughout the VST treatment process.

The VST RN Care Manager (Navigator) is essential to the successful delivery of this highly specialized therapy. By serving as a dedicated point of coordination, this role:

• Helps ensure timely access to potentially life-saving cellular therapy.
• Promotes patient safety and continuity throughout a complex treatment process.
• Ensures completion of critical regulatory and clinical requirements.
• Reduces administrative and coordination burden on physicians, nurses, and other clinical team members.
• Improves communication among Cincinnati Children’s, referring institutions, cellular therapy partners, patients, and families.
• Supports the continued growth and sustainability of the VST program.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary RN Navigator and central coordinator for the VST program.
• Coordinate referral intake and facilitate timely evaluation and treatment planning for patients referred for VST therapy.
• Coordinate donor identification, donor availability, product logistics, and communication with Hoxworth Cellular Therapy and referring institutions.
• Coordinate inpatient and outpatient infusion planning and scheduling.
• Facilitate financial clearance and communicate with appropriate teams to address authorization or financial barriers.
• Maintain required clinical, regulatory, and program documentation.
• Coordinate communication among providers, nursing teams, research staff, referring institutions, cellular therapy partners, patients, and families.
• Monitor the patient's clinical status and proactively identify changes that may affect treatment timing or eligibility.
• Coordinate adjustments to treatment plans when donor availability, clinical status, or infusion schedules change.
• Provide education, guidance, and ongoing support to patients and families throughout the VST process.
• Identify and address barriers that may delay treatment and collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to develop solutions.
• Support safe transitions between referring institutions, inpatient and outpatient settings, and treatment locations.
• Promote adherence to program protocols, regulatory requirements, and patient safety standards.
• Serve as a consistent point of contact for patients, families, and referring providers throughout the treatment process.
• Support the continued growth and operational efficiency of the VST program.
• Evaluate the timeliness and availability of treatments and services, adjusting level of service according to changing needs.
• Evaluate actual patient outcomes in relation to expected outcomes for the care-managed population. Identify quality improvement opportunities and communicate them to leadership, providing supporting data and evidence-based practice references.
• Monitor the patient's progress in achieving goals and expected outcomes at specified time frames using Critical Pathways and/or Clinical Guidelines.
• Follow through on the status of key diagnostic and treatment tests and procedures to ensure continued progression. Interact with involved departments to negotiate and expedite scheduling.
• Identify, document, and communicate barriers to the plan of care to the healthcare team. Serve as the contact person for managing resource usage/utilization.
• Facilitate communication and coordination between members of the healthcare team across all phases of care. Involve the patient, family, and caregivers in decision-making to minimize fragmentation in services.
• Lead coordination of care, setting priorities and encouraging appropriate use and timeliness of healthcare services.
• Facilitate smooth transitions of care by ensuring key components of the plan are communicated to subsequent care providers. Demonstrate understanding of legal and regulatory issues (HIPAA, EMTALA, CMS) impacting care delivery and reimbursement.
• Negotiate and advocate for patient services and resources. Provide education regarding post-acute services, community resources, or other identified needs.
• Implement the agreed-upon plan of care, providing self-management support to high-risk/complex patients and families. Help identify and overcome barriers to care.
• Utilize collaborative communication skills to establish partnerships with patients, families, caregivers, and community resources/providers.
• Educate patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare team members about treatment options. Empower patients and families to problem-solve by exploring care options and alternative plans.
• Encourage appropriate use of healthcare services to improve quality of care and maintain cost-effectiveness.
• Support and facilitate all care transitions from inpatient to outpatient, practice to practice, and pediatric to adult systems of care.
• Plan with the patient, family, or caregiver and providers to maximize health outcomes and ensure quality, cost-effective care.
• Establish treatment goals with the patient, family, and caregiver. Integrate their decisions and choices into the planning process.
• Coordinate and document the plan of care, including updates and discussions involving individuals responsible for patient welfare.
• Identify the need for patient/family team meetings, participate, and document outcomes.
• Proactively identify medical and psychosocial services needed by the patient. Reassess and adjust the plan of care according to patient needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
• Current Registered Nurse (RN) licensure in the state of Ohio.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional nursing experience.
• Strong clinical judgment and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and care coordination skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple complex cases and competing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with hematology/oncology, cellular therapy, transplantation, immunology, or other highly specialized pediatric populations.
• Previous experience in care management, navigation, case management, or clinical coordination.
• Experience working with research or regulatory requirements.
• Experience coordinating complex treatments across multiple healthcare organizations.

Schedule

• Full-time, Monday–Friday, Day Shift.
• 40 weekly hours.

About Us

At Cincinnati Children’s, we come to work with one goal: to make children’s health better. We believe in a holistic team approach, both in caring for patients and their families, and in advancing science and discovery. We strive to do better and find energy and inspiration in our shared purpose.

• Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 10 best Children's Hospitals in the nation for more than 15 years.
• Consistently among the top 3 Children's Hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding.
• Recognized as one of America’s Best Large Employers (2025) and America’s Best Employers for New Grads (2025).
• One of the nation's America’s Most Innovative Companies as noted by Fortune.
• Consistently certified as a great place to work.
• A Leading Disability Employer as noted by the National Organization on Disability.
• Magnet® designated for the fourth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

We believe in empowering our teams with tools that help us work smarter and care better, including the responsible use of artificial intelligence to create space for new ideas, better outcomes, and a stronger future—for all of us.