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*Starting pay is based on experience, skills, and equity; exceptions may apply for highly qualified candidates. Additional pay (e.g., shift, oncall, or weekend differentials) and benefits may apply.Annual pay may vary based on FTE status.

Registered Nurse Care Manager (Navigator) 6 Viral-Specific T-Cell Program

Department: Cellular Therapy / Viral-Specific T-Cell (VST) Program
Schedule: Monday 6Friday, Day Shift
Position: Full-Time
Location: Cincinnati Children9s
Required Education: BSN
Required Experience: Minimum 5 years of nursing experience

Position Overview

Cincinnati Children9s 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.

VST infusion volume has increased by approximately 40% over the past two fiscal years, creating significant growth in the coordination and administrative workload required to support these complex therapies. 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.

Key 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 patient9s 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.

Why This Role Matters

The VST RN Care Manager (Navigator) is essential to the successful delivery of this highly specialized therapy. Patients often require repeated coordination efforts because of changes in clinical condition, donor availability, treatment timing, or infusion scheduling.

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 Children9s, referring institutions, cellular therapy partners, patients, and families.
• Supports the continued growth and sustainability of the VST program.

Qualifications

Required:

• 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:

• 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

Join Cincinnati Children9s

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced RN who enjoys complex care coordination, clinical problem-solving, patient advocacy, and interdisciplinary collaboration. As the VST program continues to grow, the RN Care Manager (Navigator) will be instrumental in ensuring that patients and families receive coordinated, safe, and timely care throughout their cellular therapy journey.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Evaluation and Outcomes -Evaluate the timeliness and availability of treatments and services and adjusting level of service according to changing needs. Evaluate actual patient outcomes in relation to expected outcomes for the care managed population. Identifies quality improvement opportunities such as consistent issues with smooth care progression and communicates them to the department9s management/leadership team, providing supporting data and reference to evidence based practice when possible. Participates in the management of metrics (outcomes, value, and experience) across the continuum of care.
• Monitoring -Monitor the patient9s progress in achieving the goals, objectives, and expected outcomes of the plan at specified time frames. Utilizes Critical Pathways and /or Clinical Guidelines to monitor patient progress toward health. Follows through on the status of key diagnostic and treatment tests and procedures to insure continued progression. Interacts with involved departments and other members of the healthcare team to negotiate and expedite scheduling and completion of tests and procedures. Identifies, documents and communicates barriers to the plan of care to the healthcare team. Serves as the contact person for and works collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to manage resource usage/utilization.
• Coordination -Facilitates communication and coordination between members of the health care team across all phases of care. Involves the patient, family and caregivers in the decision-making process in order to minimize fragmentation in services. Leads the coordination of care, setting priorities and encouraging the appropriate use and timeliness of health care services Facilitates a smooth transition of care by ensuring that key components of the plan of care and/or patient needs are communicated to subsequent care providers across the continuum. Demonstrates an understanding of legal and regulatory issues (HIPPA, EMTALA, regulatory agencies, CMS, legal P&P) impacting the care delivery and reimbursement process. Negotiates and advocates for the patient for services and resources needed. Provides patient/family education regarding post-acute services, community resources, or other needs as identified. Creates an environment to support patient safety by integrating patient safety goals into daily practice based on the patient9s age and the population served.
• Implementation -Implementing the agreed upon plan of care. Provides self-management support to high risk/complex patients and families, including helping families identify and overcome barriers to care. Utilizes collaborative communication skills to establish a working partnership with the patient/family/caregiver, treatment team, and community resources/providers. Educates the patient, family and caregiver along with members of the health care delivery team about treatment options. Empowers the patient, family, and caregiver to problem-solve by exploring options of care when available and alternative plans, when necessary, to achieve desired outcomes. Encourages the appropriate use of health care services and strives to improve quality of care and maintain cost effectiveness on a case-by-case basis. Support and facilitate all care transitions from inpatient to outpatient, practice to practice and from pediatric to adult systems of care.
• Planning -Planning with the patient, family or caregiver and providers, to maximize health outcomes and ensure quality, cost effective care. Works with the patient, family and caregiver, to establish treatment goals that meet the patient9s healthcare and safety needs. Integrates patient, family and caregiver decisions and choice into the planning process. Coordinates the plan of care and maintains documentation of case updates and discussion/events involving individuals responsible for patient welfare (e.g. family, providers, and care team members). Identifies the need for patient/family team meeting, participates in the meeting and documents the outcomes. Proactively identifies medical and psychosocial services needed by the patient. Reassess plan of care and adjusts plan according to patient needs.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor9s degree in a related field.
• ACEN/CCNE accredited BSN OR MSN OR Associate/Diploma RN AND 2+ years of experience and BSN/MSN.
• 5+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Active Ohio RN License. May be required to obtain other state licensure.