Job Description
Inova's mission is to provide world-class healthcare - every time, every touch - to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve. As a not-for-profit health system, our commitment is to meet the healthcare needs and improve the health of the communities we serve. We work in innovative ways to meet the healthcare challenges of today, while striving to meet the needs of the future. As such, team members are expected to perform job duties and responsibilities in keeping with Inova's values and in a manner that reflects the highest ethical and professional standards of conduct and performance. At Inova, we know it takes each and every team member in our system to deliver the clinical excellence we provide. Come join us to be a valued member of the Inova Team!
Job Summary

Provides safe therapeutic care in a holistic and systematic way. Guides patient and family members through the process of a new cancer diagnosis. Acts as a liaison, advocate and point of contact to patient/family members by helping them access the best healthcare outcomes from doctors, hospitals and others who provide their required services. May assist patients and families with resolving financial, psychosocial, functional, and administrative issues by advising of options and referring to appropriate resources. Acts as advisor/educator by providing emotional support, education, resources and expert guidance to patients and families to promote their ability to understand and meaningfully participate in the healthcare process and personal decision-making.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Coordination of Care
• Works closely with new patient coordinator to ensure necessary records, pathology results, radiology results, etc. are obtained prior to patient's first visit. Reviews records with new patient coordinator to ensure completeness and appropriateness for multi-disciplinary clinic or alternate setting. Reviews records with APP or MD as needed prior to scheduling appointment.
• Works with new patient coordinator to ensure new patient appointment is scheduled in a timely manner and with the appropriate provider(s).
• Connects with all new cancer patients prior to first appointment to introduce self and role and ensures patient is knowledgeable about multidisciplinary appointment (e.g. date, time, providers to be seen, location, parking, etc.).
• Presents patient at multidisciplinary case conference.
• Meets with patient/family at their initial visit to answer questions, coordinate care, educate on processes, connect with resources as identified, etc.
• Assess patient needs upon initial encounter and periodically throughout navigation, matching unmet needs with appropriate services and referrals and support services, such as palliative care, dieticians, medical providers, social worker, pre/rehabilitation, legal and financial services.
• Coordinates clinic to ensure all new patients are seen by the appropriate providers and team members.
• Assists with scheduling appointments, referrals, laboratory/radiology tests for initial work up.
• Follows up with patient to make sure all appointments are made, test results received, etc.
• Identifies potential and realized barriers to care (e.g. transportation, child care, elder care, housing, language, culture, literacy, role disparity, psychosocial, employment, financial, insurance, etc.) and facilitates referrals as appropriate to mitigate barriers.
• Develops knowledge of available local, community or national resources and the quality of services provided; also establishes relationships with the providers of these services.
• Facilitates initial coordination of care to expediate the plan of care by the multidisciplinary team.
• Participates in coordination of the plan of care with the multidisciplinary team, promoting timely follow-up on treatment and supportive care recommendations (e.g. cancer conferences/tumor boards).
• Facilitates individualized care within the context of functional status, cultural considerations, health literacy, psychosocial, reproductive/fertility and spiritual needs for patients, families and caregivers.
• Assists in the identification of candidates for molecular testing and/or genetic testing and counseling and facilitates appropriate referrals.
• Applies knowledge of insurance processes (e.g. Medicare, Medicaid, third-party payers) and their impact on staging, referrals and patient care decisions toward establishing appropriate referrals, as needed.
• Communication
• Builds therapeutic and trusting relationships with patients, families and caregivers through effective communication and listening skills
• Acts as liaison between new patients, their families and caregivers and the providers to optimize outcomes.
• Advocates for patients to promote patient-centered care that includes shared decision making and patients goals of care with optimal outcomes.
• Provides psychosocial support to and facilitates appropriate referrals for patients, families and caregivers especially during periods of high emotional stress and anxiety.
• Empowers patients and families to self-advocate and communicate their needs.
• Promotes a patient-and-family-centered care environment for ethical decision making and advocacy for patients with cancer.
• Ensures that communication is culturally sensitive and appropriate for identified level of health literacy.
• Education
• Assesses educational needs of patients, families and caregivers by taking into consideration barriers to care (e.g. literacy, language, cultural influences, comorbidities, etc.).
• Provides and reinforces education to patients, families and caregivers about diagnosis, treatment options, side effect management and post-treatment care and survivorship.
• Educates patients, families and caregivers on the role of the Oncology Nurse Navigator.
• Orients and educates patients, families and caregivers to the cancer healthcare system, multidisciplinary team member roles and available resources.
• Promotes autonomous decision making by patients through the provision of personalized education and support.
• Educates and reinforces the significance of adherence with the patients, families and caregivers regarding treatment schedules, protocols and follow-up.
• Provides anticipatory guidance and manages expectations to assist patients in coping with the diagnosis of cancer and its potential or expected outcomes.
• Promotes awareness of clinical trials to patients, families and caregivers.
• Professional Role
• Promotes lifelong learning and evidence-based practice to improve the care of patients with a newly diagnosed cancer.
• Obtains and then maintains Oncology nursing certification.
• Demonstrates effective communication with peers, members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team and community organizations and resources.
• Contributes to Oncology Nurse Navigator program and role development, implementation and evaluation with the healthcare system and community.
• Participates in the tracking and monitoring of metrics and outcomes, in collaboration with administration to document and evaluate outcomes of the navigation program.
• Collaborates with the cancer committee and administration to perform and evaluate data from the community needs assessment to identify areas of improvement that will affect the patient navigation process and participate in quality improvement based on identified service gaps.
• In collaboration with other members of the healthcare team, builds partnerships with local agencies and groups that may assist with cancer patient care, support or educational needs.

• Contributes to the development of the cancer program community needs assessment and makes suggestions to the cancer committee on navigation program changes related to community needs outcomes and the cancer program strategic plan.
• Assists in gap analysis, quality improvement, process improvement measures and data analysis and makes recommendations to the cancer committee for appropriate navigation program changes related to the data.
• Contributes to the knowledge base of the healthcare community and in support of the Oncology Nurse Navigator role through activities such as involvement in professional organizations, presentations, publications and research.
• Disseminates information about the Oncology Nurse Navigator role to other healthcare team members through peer education, mentoring and preceptor experiences.
• Collaborates with treating physician(s) and support staff to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency department visits or clinic visits and works to improve adherence to treatment through the design and implementation of appropriate patient education and follow-up.
• Orients, mentors and guides novice Oncology Nurse Navigators.
• Collaborates with cancer program administration and the cancer committee to develop strategies to fulfill the requirements and standards of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.

Requirements:
Mon-Fri day shift

3 to 5 years' progressive clinical nursing with primary care management of patient population

BSN

Current Basic Life Support (BLS) and
Certification in oncology within 2 years of employment.

Strong oncology knowledge; Basic knowledge of managed care; Working knowledge of insurance coverage and procedures; Working knowledge of community resources; understanding of health care facilities and processes; Strong verbal and written communication skills; Strong interpersonal skills; Proficient computer skills
About Us
Inova is Northern Virginia's leading nonprofit healthcare provider. Our mission is to provide world-class healthcare - every time, every touch - to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve. Inova's 18,000 team members serve more than 2 million individuals annually through an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes.

Safety Always: Learn how we keep our team members and patients Safe@Inova.
About the Team
Orientation
There's no more welcoming environment than Inova. And it shows in everything we do, including onboarding new members of our team. We make sure you feel comfortable from the moment you arrive with our comprehensive orientation. We also have specialized orientation programs for certain work sites, as well as customized programs for our leadership, clinical and nursing roles.