Nurse Navigator - Total Joint Replacement
The Nurse Navigator functions as a member of the multidisciplinary team and serves as an advocate and educator for patients, from diagnosis through end of active treatment. The Orthopedic Navigator's primary function is to ensure the patient remains compliant to the treatment plan. Navigators achieve this goal by building relationships with patients and physicians, coordinating the plan of care, assisting with appointments, transportation needs, education, resource provision and/or representation within the multidisciplinary care environment. The Nurse Navigator also assumes responsibility and accountability for the management of resources to achieve efficient, high-quality outcomes for patients, including support with interdisciplinary and cross facility coverage and collaboration.
Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Provide expertise as a professional Registered Nurse with orthopedic clinical knowledge
- Coordinate care as the single point of contact/resource for patients, staff and physicians
- Provide nurse navigation services throughout the continuum of care for Total Joint Replacement Patients
- Act as patient advocate and educator
- Promote orthopedic evidence-based clinical practice
- Acts as liaison between physicians, clinical coordinators, patients and families, and administrative staff
- Facilitates the joint replacement patient's progression from surgical booking, through pre-admission testing through day of surgery to, and post-operative visit
- Ensure compliance with preoperative education and screening protocols
- Conduct initial navigator assessment, assess patients' support system, document potential barriers to treatment and/or discharge
- Meet with patients and families and ensure continued communication & feedback
- Completes patient phone calls post op to enhance the patient experience and improve quality and safety of care for patients after surgery
- Collect, track, trend and analyze data to improve outcomes
- Help to address quality of care concerns and implement quality improvement projects as it pertains to patients undergoing TJR when needed.
- Demonstrates flexibility and ability to positively adapt to changing staffing/clinical/patient census needs including but not limited to helping others, adjusting patient assignments and covering other providers within the practice as needed
- Willing to learn and utilize HST system, Exscribe, Meditech, Patient Engagement Platforms and other software systems in daily activities to effectively manage TJR patients throughout the continuum of care
- Other duties may be assigned as necessary
Education:
- Degree in Nursing required.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations Required:
- Current RI RN license, with minimum of 5 years of clinical experience-Ortho experience preferred
- Certificate 1 BLS required
Experience:
- Clinical experience of at least 5 years in a wide range of clinical areas including ambulatory orthopedic care
Knowledge and Skills:
- Demonstrates strong interpersonal, communication and writing skills, with a high level of initiative and follow-up capacity
- Previous experience with patient satisfaction initiatives
- Demonstrates leadership and problem-solving skills
- Self-directed, organized and have acute attention to detail
- Ability to lead meetings and create a culture of transparency, teamwork, quality, rewards and recognition, and accountability
- Ability to collect, analyzes and interprets clinical data, including surgical outcomes, and identifies opportunities for improvement
- Demonstrates experience interacting with community organizations
- Flexible, with a strong ability to adapt to change
- Experience /ability to learn computer systems required including web-based applications and some Microsoft Office applications, CARE database
Abilities:
- Embracing ORI’s mission and vision through friendly and patient-oriented service
- Demonstrate excellent teamwork, organizational, and communication skills
- Adheres to processes, while looking for opportunities for innovation and improvement
- Critical thinking skills and deliberate in decision making
- Ability to work in a fast paced in environment while remaining patient with physicians, patients, families, and co-workers
- Assertive
- Ability to correlate clinical data with patient’s medical and nursing care.
- Ability to make decisions concerning facility-based problems
Work Environment:
- General pleasant working environment with little or no distractions or exposure to unpleasant or hazardous elements
- Meets all safety training requirements associated with the Surgical Center. Indoors climate-controlled environment
- Patient care environment with potential exposure to unpleasant odors, to blood and body fluids which may carry infection, to infectious disease, and to chemical and electrical hazards
- Occasional exposure to outdoor climate
Physical Demands:
- Ability to lift/transfer patients which may require pushing, pulling, and essentially utilizing a full range of body movement
- Ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch and/or crawl
- Ability to reach, grasp, use fine finger movement and feel fine sensation to discern temperature, texture, size, and shape
- Ability to speak and hear
- Good visual acuity, accurate color vision
Position Type and Expected Hours of Work:
This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are typically Monday through Friday and may vary depending on Company Schedule.
Travel:
No overnight travel is expected for this position. There may be occasional local day travel to Company Divisions.