Overview

Texas Oncology/Texas Breast Specialists is looking for a Nurse Navigator (RN)to join our team! This full time position will support the Texas Breast Specialists Austin Midtown location. This is a full-time Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm position with no weekends, call, or major holidays.

What does the Nurse Navigator (RN) do?

The Oncology Nurse Navigator (ONN) is responsible for providing individual assistance to patients, families, and caregivers to overcome health care system barriers and provide timely access to quality healthcare within a community oncology setting. Utilizing the nursing process, the Oncology Nurse Navigator provides patient education and access to relevant internal and external resources. Primary objectives are to facilitate informed decision making and timely access to high quality health and psychosocial care through all phases of the cancer continuum. Routine collaboration with internal departments and external referral resources are anticipated, including scheduling, financial counseling, lab, pharmacy, social work, nursing, surgical, radiation and imaging, dietary, and others. Regular and frequent interface with practice-based leadership teams, physicians, and clinical staff is required to promote and engage the patient navigation process.

Responsibilities

The essential duties and responsibilities:

• Performs coordination of care during the full continuum of cancer care experience.
• Identifies potential and real gaps in care delivery; seeks out opportunities for avoidance and/or closure.
• Prepares for, organizes and leads the Patient Care Conference (huddle) at regular intervals; communicates interventional outcomes to full care team in a timely manner.
• Performs assessment of patient risk stratification.
• Performs basic psychosocial assessments and provides emotional support; delegates and/or make referrals for additional screening and support as needed.
• Develops appropriate nursing diagnoses and corresponding action plans as needed.
• Supports and/or provides oral chemotherapy education, adherence and side effect monitoring.
• Holds or participates in survivorship and advance care planning visits; makes referrals as needed.
• Participates in research, quality, and performance improvement, including reporting on navigation metrics.
• Supports patient advocacy and empowerment.
• Participates in community outreach and cancer prevention education.
• Knowledgeable of practice operations guidelines, practice organization and healthcare economics.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate for the Nurse Navigator (RN) will have the following background and experience:

• Bachelor's prepared Registered Nurse (BSN).
• Oncology Certification (OCN) preferred.
• Nurse Navigator Certification a plus.
• 5 (five) years work experience as a Registered Nurse in an oncology practice or clinic.
• Demonstrated leadership, interpersonal and collaboration skills.
• Ability to apply the full nursing process in day-to-day clinical operations, including assessment, analysis and nursing diagnosis, care planning, implementation and outcomes evaluation.
• Ability to assess health disparities, identify needs of populations and cultures found within the general facility service area, describe a patient navigation process to address those needs, and document outcomes.
• Ability to prioritize and re-prioritize quickly.
• Strong organizational and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to apply and/or oversee care coordination in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Working computer and internet skills, including an electronic EMR system.
• Basic knowledge of local community resources.

Working Conditions:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Exposure to communicable diseases, toxic substances, ionizing radiation, medical preparations and other conditions common to an oncology/hematology clinic environment may occur.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Requires full range of body motion including handling and lifting patients, manual and finger dexterity, and eye-hand coordination. Requires standing and walking for extensive periods of time. Occasionally lifts and carries items weighing up to 40 lbs. Requires corrected vision and hearing to normal range. Required to lift and assist patients as requested.