Nurse Navigator Medicine Clinic, Augusta GA

Job Summary

The Nurse Navigator (NN) is a licensed registered nurse with disease‑specific clinical knowledge who offers individualized assistance to patients, families, and caregivers to help overcome barriers to care. The NN utilizes the nursing process to provide education and resources that facilitate informed decision‑making and timely access to quality health and psychosocial care throughout all phases of the cancer continuum. This role is both patient and provider facing, interfacing in person, telephonically, and electronically, and is not a bedside or chair‑side position.

Primary functions include promoting timely access to care and compliance with the plan of care and supporting the Wellstar Specialty Program.

• Serves as subject matter expert in the field of navigation.
• Improves patient care timeliness and access to care.
• Collaborates with program leaders and administration to evaluate data from community needs assessments and identify improvement areas for the patient navigation process.
• Provides relationship‑based, patient‑centered care consistent with population‑specific characteristics (e.g., age, gender, disease) and adapts service delivery to reflect diversity.
• Participates in growth and development activities with the navigation team, providing leadership in program needs aligned with the navigators’ expertise.
• Collaborates with the overall navigation team for cross‑coverage and subject‑matter expertise to coordinate high‑level care for all patients.
• Performs the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, outcomes identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation) using evidence‑based practice and analytical/critical thinking to individualize care and coordinate effective partnerships.
• Coordinates the delivery and documentation of safe, quality patient care that promotes the professional care delivery model, including interdisciplinary communication methods and timely documentation.
• Demonstrates teamwork and collaboration while practicing in a fiscally responsible manner that promotes recruitment and retention of all healthcare team members.
• Participates in and supports performance improvement, promoting inter/intra‑disciplinary processes and active participation in shared governance at all system levels.
• Coordinates care as recommended at specialty clinics and multidisciplinary care rounds, identifies gaps in services, and takes action to locate and bridge resources/services.
• Completes all initial and ongoing professional competency assessments, required mandatory education, and population‑specific education.
• Serves as a preceptor and/or mentor for other professional nurses, staff, or students across disciplines to build a qualified future workforce, modeling professional nursing practice and fostering a healthy work environment.
• Stays informed about advances and developments impacting cancer care by actively participating in local, state, and national oncology and navigation professional practice opportunities.
• Upholds all health‑care system policies, procedures, navigation competencies, legal, regulatory, and accreditation requirements, and standards such as TJC Patient Safety Goals and Well Star Health Systems safety absolutes.
• Participates in data collection, poses relevant clinical questions to advanced evidence‑based practice, consults appropriate experts, and uses evidence to address practice questions.
• Supports efficient and effective use of human and material resources, including practice in additional supportive areas during identified needs.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.

• Associates' degree in Nursing or Nursing diploma;
  Bachelor’s degree in Nursing preferred.

• BLS – Basic Life Support or ARC‑BLS – American Red Cross Basic Life Support or BLS‑I – Basic Life Support Instructor.
• RN – Regular Nurse (Single State) or RN‑COMPACT – Multi‑state Compact.

• Minimum 3 years of nursing practice.
• Minimum 2 years of nursing with disease‑specific experience (preferred).
• Experience in outpatient care or care coordination.