Job Summary
The Nurse Navigator serves as a critical member of the clinical care team, responsible for coordinating patient care, providing education, facilitating communication among healthcare providers, and ensuring continuity of care. This role blends administrative, clinical, and educational responsibilities to improve patient outcomes and support care delivery across multiple service lines.
Duties/Responsibilities
- Serve as a central point of contact for patients, providers, and internal departments to ensure efficient and coordinated care.
- Perform telephone and in-office triage; provide clinical advice, appointment scheduling, and patient education.
- Follow up on diagnostic tests and procedures; communicate results and recommended next steps to patients and providers.
- Conduct pre-op, post-op, follow-up, and results-based communication with patients.
- Assist with referrals, prior authorizations, and care coordination with outside providers and facilities.
- Proactively address and help resolve barriers to care, including insurance or social determinants.
- Manage in-basket and EMR documentation, ensuring timely and accurate recording of care plans and communications.
- Collaborate with providers to develop and update patient-specific plans of care.
- Rotate to clinical areas and assist with direct patient care or education as needed (up to 5% of time).
- Participate in onboarding and preceptorship of new clinical staff.
- Support cross-department coverage and staffing as needed.
- Identify, escalate, and report urgent or adverse situations promptly to appropriate leadership.
- Provide administrative and clinical leadership; assist in development of triage protocols and cross-training initiatives.
- Contribute to departmental efforts to improve quality of care and patient satisfaction.
- Prepare and analyze reports relevant to nursing and patient care functions.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Nursing (BSN) required.
- Current D.C. RN license or evidence of application required.
- Minimum of 3 years of clinical experience in an acute or ambulatory care setting. Preferred experience in care coordination, case management, or multiple specialties within medicine.
- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal). Strong problem-solving, organizational, and multitasking abilities. Proficiency in EMR systems and computer applications. Ability to work independently and collaboratively across departments. Flexible, compassionate, and patient-focused mindset.
General supervision from the Clinical Nurse Manage
None
Typical Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Frequent mobility and/or sitting required for extended periods of time. Requires manual dexterity to operate computer keyboard, calculator, copier machine, and other equipment.
About GW MFA
MFA physicians provide comprehensive patient care, offering one practice for the whole person with 52 medical and surgical specialties. As members of the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences faculty, MFA providers are teachers and mentors for medical students, residents, fellows, and researchers preserving the rich tradition of academics, research, and healing. In addition to maintaining a closely integrated alliance with The George Washington University and The George Washington University Hospital (GWUH) which is separately owned and operated by Universal Health Services (UHS), the GW MFA has active referring relationships with 12 area hospitals.
The GW MFA’s leading healthcare presence in the DC metro region is complemented by a network of community-based practices in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Given its geographic location in central NW Washington, DC, and proximity to more than 175 resident embassies, the MFA continues to evolve its international clinical outreach.
