How to Become a Nurse Navigator
What is a Nurse Navigator?
Nurse navigators are patient advocates who ensure that each person receives the highest standard of care from the first consultation and throughout the patient's plan of care. They also help bypass barriers and “navigate” quality patient care so patients receive the treatment they need.
Many patients receiving a new medical diagnosis require a wide range of coordinated efforts to ensure that care is organized, efficient, and effective. Nurse navigators make sure that happens.
What Does a Nurse Navigator Do?
A nurse navigator's job description depends on many factors, such as the type of healthcare facility they work in and the types of medical conditions that their patients have.
Some nurse navigators help to coordinate patient care for an entire medical facility, such as a hospital. Others may coordinate care for a single department or medical specialty.
Nurse navigators also work in clinics to coordinate patient care throughout their patients' illnesses. These nurses help advocate for their patients by translating complex medical information so patients can understand and apply it.
Nurse navigators who work in the hospital setting usually manage a patient's care from admission through discharge to ensure they receive the care they need during their stay.
Some of the tasks that nurse navigators manage include:
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Educate patients about their disease and treatments
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Provide clinical resources, such as where to get a second opinion
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Assess patients for psychosocial distress and referral to a medical social worker when needed
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Serve as liaison to the physician
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Address barriers to treatment, such as finances, housing, transportation, childcare, or prescription costs.
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Function as a contact point for the patient's interdisciplinary team to ensure quality care
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Support the timely scheduling of appointments, diagnostic testing, and procedures
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Educate/identify patients for genetic counseling or fertility preservation and facilitate appropriate referrals
Specialties Nurse Navigators Work In
You will find nurse navigators working with patients in nearly every specialty. However, they very commonly work with oncology departments to help guide cancer patients through their diagnosis, hospital stays, and home treatment plans.
Other specialties where you may find nurse navigators might include neurology, cardiology, trauma, surgical transplant, or others.
Nurse Navigator Salary
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the 2022 mean pay for nurses of all specialties was $89,010 per year or $42.80 per hour.
Zip Recruiter reports that the median annual salary for nurse navigators is $83,371 annually or $40/hr. They also state that nurse navigator salaries across the US range from about $45,000 to $16,500 per year.
On the other hand, Salary.com reports that nurse navigators earn a median annual salary of $96,762. They also note that the bottom 10% of earners make about $78,487 and the top 10% bring home about $118,386.
It is essential to recognize that nurse salaries are determined based on several factors, such as
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The city and state you live in
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The type of healthcare facility you work in
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How many hours you work per shift (8, 10, or 12 hours)
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Whether you work full-time or part-time
If you choose to live and work as a nurse navigator in a city with a higher cost of living, you may also find that your employer will offer a higher hourly wage. You may want to consider asking what the average nurse salaries are in the different areas where you want to live to ensure it is a good fit for you.
How to Become a Nurse Navigator
To become a nurse navigator, you must meet specific requirements and follow these steps:
Step One: Attend an Accredited Nursing Program
There are two pathways to achieve this:
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Associate's degree in nursing (ADN), or
Step Two: Pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN)
To earn licensure as a registered nurse, you must pass the NCLEX-RN. All nurses must maintain a current license in the state where they work. Nursing licenses must be renewed every two years by completing and submitting continuing education units (CEUs) per your state's nursing board requirements.
Step Three: Apply for a Nursing Position
Look for new nurse graduate programs in your area and get experience working in at least one hospital bedside department.
Nurses usually must gain experience working on the floors before being considered eligible candidates for a nurse navigator position.
Step Four: Apply for a Nurse Navigator Position
It may be easier to obtain a nurse navigator position at the facility where you already have nursing experience. This is helpful because you know your way around the facility and probably know much of the ancillary staff, which will help you coordinate and navigate care for admitted patients.
Step Five: Become Certified as a Nurse Navigator
Currently, there is only one certification available for nurse navigators. Earn certification as an Oncology Nurse Navigator-Certified Generalist (ONN-CG) through the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators.
Eligibility to sit for the exam requires that you complete at least 15 CEUs in the prior 12 months within the following areas:
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Patient advocacy and empowerment
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Quality and performance improvement
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Coordination of care
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Psychosocial distress screening
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Community outreach and prevention, and
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End-of-life care
You will also need to provide a reference letter signed by your employer verifying your role as a nurse navigator.
Skills Nurse Navigators Need
Nurse navigators help to coordinate care for several patients at a time. Therefore they must work well under pressure, have excellent organizational skills, and possess a calm and caring demeanor. Other skills that nurse navigators need include:
Communication
Patient outcomes often depend on the effectiveness of how well the nurse navigator communicates with the patient's multidisciplinary care teams. The communication must be open, reliable, and responsive to ensure patients receive the proper care they need.
Cultural Awareness
Nurse navigators must understand that their patient's values and beliefs may differ. They must be willing to openly and honestly listen to patients' needs to develop a culturally acceptable care plan.
Commitment to Patient Confidentiality
All nurses must honor and comply with HIPAA regulations. However, the nurse navigator's role often requires several revolving doors of communication with many unique contact points. This may require an added layer of awareness in terms of patient privacy.
What is it Like to Be a Nurse Navigator?
Although working as a nurse navigator can be very stressful and exhausting, many say the career gives them a sense of pride in their work. In addition, it is often an excellent fit for nurses who no longer want to work at the bedside but still want to provide one-on-one patient care.
Many nurse navigators who have several years of direct care bedside experience decide they want to move into an exciting nursing role that doesn't require as much wear and tear on their bodies.
If you love the hustle of bedside nursing, a career as a nurse navigator may not be the right fit for you.
But if you need a break from bedside care, want to focus on patient advocacy, and help coordinate the highest level of quality care for a wide range of patients, a career in nurse navigation might be a perfect fit.