nurse navigator role

[rnheart]

I have recently been promoted to a nurse navigator type role. I wanted to know are there any nurse navigators here that could help me develope this new position at our hospital. I am the first one here HELP:bow:

[Dea,RN]

At my facility we are interested in developing a Women's Health Navigator role. I would like all the help that I can get in designing this role. Thank you for your help!:)

[AylanRose]

Hey there all!

I am beginning the journey into the Breast CA nurse Navigator role and would like to know if anyone has information or a place to begin gathering information. This is a new role for the hospital and will be growing from the ground up. Thanks for all the suport that I see for each other! :redpinkhe

[spacey]

Tina,

The nurse navigator role seems to have started particularly to address the needs of new breast cancer patients. (based on my reading, online) The navigator is the patient's point of contact through the whole experience...from diagnosis, appointment scheduling, treatment and follow up and serves to interpret the medical information, educate the pt and provide ongoing support and guidance through the whole experience.

A few hospitals are trying this role in different areas, specific ones that I've seen include different types of cancer, cardiology / open heart surgery, and NICU.

I am hoping to create this role in our NICU -- as families with babies in the NICU are experiencing a family crisis and are frequently overwhelmed and in need of education and support during this time.

I hope anyone with Navigator experience will chime in and let us know what's happening in this important new field!

[bits78]

At my facility we are interested in developing a Women's Health Navigator role. I would like all the help that I can get in designing this role. Thank you for your help!:)

Hello Dea- I actually just started in my role as a women's health navigator in Jan of this year. It has been quite an experience- I have learned so much from this role.

[Jrntxrn]

I am also developing my new role as a nurse navigator in family birthing center and looking for direction. Please guide to websites or research to help further define the ideas I have in mind for this role.

[J.J.]

Dea,

I welcome your input as I've just started a new role as Women's Health Nurse Navigator in the same hospital I've worked for many years. Any suggestions on steps to development of your role?

[jmathisrn]

Nurse Navigator = Sherpa. You help the patient through the unfamiliar, the scary and occasionally the frustrating. You are the primary point of contact for their process. Spiritual, emotional, physical, financial - you should be able to refer them to a contact or link to another provider to assist them.

I have seen some parallels between the NN role and the Certified Guardian and Geriatric Care Manager. As the NN role develops, there should be some linkages (structure, jargon, standardized intake documents) between the outside providers and the NN role. As 10,000 boomers retire every day for the next decade, building a solid and collaborative foundation will be essential. :two cents:

Still doing research on this but holding back so I can get my 15 posts. :)

[spacey]

So several of you seem to have been just starting in a Navigator type position.... or had been in it only a short time. Could you share how your job is structured? Do you have set hours? Are you paid hourly or a salary? Is this role considered management in your hospital? Do you allow your patients to contact you outside of office hours? (finding that some social workers do provide their patients with a cell number.... sort of amazed by that and wondered if it was appropriate for a Navigator) I would love to hear how you organize your patient data and keep up with all their various educational and emotional needs. Any input you have would be very helpful... it seems we're all at the front edge of a new specialty. :)

[bits78]

Spacey,

I am working as a Women's Health Navigator. My hours are set 8:30-5 M-F. I do some off hours- health fairs, talks, and special functions. I do check my email at home but usually don't check my phone when I am at home. I have in some instances given my cell number out to patients but it has been dependent on what was needed at the time. I usually write up my patient encounters on a form with name, number, dob, address, and date and then write a narrative. I then keep stats in an excel spreadsheet. I also run a free women's program so I visit these members when they are admitted and again keep an excel spreadsheet on these visits also. I have been doing this since Jan 2010 and have really grown our program. I am also looking at ways to improve our care in our Breast Center, OB/Gyn, dexascans, pelvic floor therapy and so much more. I attend health fairs- this is best way to promote myself, We do monthly free talks- have the doctors or other experts come and talk to women. We also do night outs from a High Tea, Wine tasting and a night where we have a nice dinner and a speaker come and talk. We look at the whole woman and even do a "Fancy Nancy Tea Party" for girls ages 4-8 to attend with special woman in their lives. I work towards educating my women and helping them navigate through the system with whatever there needs are.

This job is so new that it is always evolving. We started out with just me and now we have an administrative assistant that is really an awesome addition to this position.