Nurse Navigator- Palliative Care (FT- 0.9 FTE, Day Shift)

Nurse Navigator

The Nurse Navigator collaborates with providers and/or clinical areas to coordinate service and ensure quality of care for patients. This nurse interdependently assesses, evaluates and implements care delivered to patients and ensures a smooth transition of patients from clinic to procedural and outpatient treatment areas. The nurse navigator, together with the multidisciplinary team, facilitates timely scheduling of appointments, diagnostic testing, and procedures to expedite the plan of care and promote continuity of care. The registered nurse also plans and implements patient and family education.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors in Nursing from accredited nursing school
• Montana Licensure (Registered Nurse)
• American Heart Association BLS
• 1 year of direct patient care experience

Essential Job Functions:

• Coordination of patients
• Actively participates as a team member by communicating with providers, schedulers, nursing, infusion, radiology, lab, and other departments
• Assist in tracking of incidental radiological/laboratory findings as needed. Contact patients if needed to assure appropriate follow up is done.
• Coordinate the ordering, scheduling, and performance of selected procedures and treatments as indicated.
• Collaborate with clinic team as well as other departments to ensure overall coordination of services and ensure positive interactions with providers from oncology, primary care, and specialty/procedural areas.
• Assist with Survivorship care planning as needed
• Counsel and educate patients to insure the patient is well informed of all portions of the plan of care
• Works with non-licensed staff to gather necessary medical records for review.
• Works with other co-workers to improve care processes in the department.
• Room patients - Gather patient data consistently and accurately, collect information on history of present illness or injury, obtain vital signs, review current medications and allergies. Document patient encounters in EMR.
• Triage and respond to patient phone messages in a timely manner according to clinic guidelines, collaborate with provider, act on provider response, and communicate with patient; document task communications in EMR/paper chart.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrates sound judgement, patience, and maintains a professional demeanor at all times
• Ability to work in a busy and stressful environment
• Creativity, problem analysis and decision making
• Ability to work varied shifts
• Exercises tact, discretion, sensitivity and maintains confidentiality
• Strong emotional intelligence, interpersonal and teamwork skills

Schedule Requirements

• This role requires regular and sustained attendance.
• The position may necessitate working beyond a standard 40-hour workweek, including weekends and after-hours shifts.
• On-call work may be required to respond promptly to organizational, patient, or employee needs.

Physical Requirements

• Lifting (Repeatedly 50 pounds): Exerting force occasionally and/or using a negligible amount of force to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects or people.
• Sit (Occasionally): Maintaining a sitting posture for extended periods may include adjusting body position to prevent discomfort or strain.
• Stand (Repeatedly): Maintaining a standing posture for extended periods may include adjusting body position to prevent discomfort or strain.
• Walk (Repeatedly): Walking and moving around within the work area requires good balance and coordination.
• Climb (Rarely): Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles, and the like using feet and legs; may also use hands and arms.
• Twist/Bend/Stoop/Kneel (Repeatedly): Twisting, bending, and stooping require flexibility and a wide range of motion in the spine and joints.
• Reach Above Shoulder Level (Repeatedly): Lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling objects as necessary above the shoulder, requiring strength and stability.
• Push/Pull (Repeatedly): Using the upper extremities to press or exert force against something with steady force to thrust forward, downward, or outward.
• Fine-Finger Movements (Continuously): Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working primarily with fingers rather than using the whole hand as in handling.
• Vision (Continuously): Close visual acuity to prepare and analyze data and figures and to read computer screens, printed materials, and handwritten materials.
• Cognitive Skills (Continuously): Learn new tasks, remember processes, maintain focus, complete tasks independently, and make timely decisions in the context of a workflow.
• Exposures (Continuously): Bloodborne pathogens, such as blood, bodily fluids, or tissues. Radiation in settings where medical imaging procedures are performed. Various chemicals and medications are used in healthcare settings. Job tasks may involve handling cleaning products, disinfectants, and other substances. Infectious diseases are caused by contact with patients in areas that may have contagious illnesses. Emotionally challenging situations, such as dealing with distressed patients or difficult family interactions.

*Frequency Key: Continuously (100% - 67% of the time), Repeatedly (66% - 33% of the time), Occasionally (32% - 4% of the time), Rarely (3% - 1% of the time), Never (0%).

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to the job classification. They are not to be construed as a contract of any type nor an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by individuals so classified.