Stroke/Neurosurgery Nurse Navigator

Stamford Health is hiring a Fulltime Stroke/Neurosurgery Nurse Navigator!

At Stamford Health, we believe that every patient deserves compassionate, personalized, person‑centered care. This commitment guides how we care for patients, support their care partners, and promote the wellbeing of our staff. In alignment with our Planetree philosophy, the individual in this role will foster a respectful, collaborative environment that honors the needs, values, and preferences of every person we serve and the colleagues we partner with.  

As a Certified Great Place to Work organization, Stamford Health understands what it takes to attract talent to improve our workforce and support our mission, to that end we offer:

• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive, low-cost health insurance plans (including GLP-1 coverage options) available day one
• Wellness programs
• Paid Time Off accruals
• Tax deferred annuity and (403b) pension plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Free on-site parking and train station shuttle
• Childcare partnership with Children’s Learning Center 

Responsibilities: 

The Stroke/Neurosurgery Nurse Navigator is responsible for coordinating multidisciplinary services to provide quality, cost-effective care to stroke and neurosurgery patients. This position serves as a resource for patients and physicians, acting as an educator, quality improvement advocate, and consultant. This role involves making initial contact with patients and families to establish professional relationships and understanding of the diagnosis and treatment plan. In addition, this position assesses patient status and collaborates with physicians to determine appropriate care plans. Additionally, this role develops and manages the process for scheduling procedures through discharge for stroke patients.

• Develops, plans, and implements evidence-based measures to improve the quality of stroke patient care and ensures compliance with regulatory guidelines.
• Supports and assists with data collection for process and quality improvement, understanding department performance trends and standards.
• Collaborates with the Neuroscience Institute department to enhance patient care. Informs and seeks assistance from the Manager and Director when confronted with unfamiliar procedures and techniques to ensure safe and effective patient care.
• Coordinates patient education and care, serving as a resource for patients and families during diagnosis and treatment, and communicating patient status and needs.
• Navigates patients from the diagnostic phase through treatment, ensuring timely medical and supportive services, including responding to stroke alerts and transfers.
• Provides telephone and face-to-face consultations with patients, answering questions, providing educational information, and reviewing discharge information.
• Communicates with patients and families after discharge to address concerns and ensure understanding of follow-up care and functional assessment.
• Supports the goals of The Stroke Center Certified program by creating an environment of collaboration between service lines, departments, and individual practitioners.
• Serves as clinical expert on all aspects of stroke care to health care professionals, hospital personnel, patients, families, and the community.
• Participate in annual/biannual review for recertification as Thrombectomy Capable Stroke Center and intra-cycle phone review. 
• Assists in the development of policies and procedures to reflect changing standards for stroke care that is evidence based.
• Participates in achieving Stroke Program quality standards. Meets targeted level of patient satisfaction and promotes positive patient experiences by evaluating the flow of patients through inpatient and outpatient services and facilitating necessary changes in operation.
• Collaborates with the Stroke Program Manager to identify, review and present Stroke Program data to hospital committees. 
• Maintains and validates stroke data by developed or available processes with comprehensive listing of patients with diagnoses meeting Stroke criteria.
• Abstracts required data elements from the medical record and assures accurate entering of data elements into the registry. Prepares and reviews monthly data summaries to assure data entries are complete.
• Collaborates to improve performance improvement monitoring and efforts.
• Responsible for preparing reports pertinent to Stroke performance improvement on an on-going basis-defines and implements procedures to improve data collection quality- Collects special data and reports for stroke quality committee and hospital wide committees. 
• Participates in PI standard reports and stroke quality report cards. Participates in annual continuous quality improvement criteria by obtaining multidisciplinary feedback annually on the effectiveness of the Stroke Program.
• Accurately collects, prepares, processes, or maintains required data in accordance with procedures and time frames.
• Collaborate, communicate and serve as a performance improvement resource for the telestroke partners.
• Serves as a resource and collaborates for care providers for continuing education and collaborates with existing community organizations in educational initiatives.
• Report, according to procedure, any cases pertaining for Stroke leadership, Neurovascular Quality Peer Review, Stroke Clinical Performance Improvement.
• Maintains working knowledge of current research related to stroke registries, stroke incidence, and related topics and identifies opportunities, facilitates, and participates in research initiatives related to the stroke patient.
• Periodically assists with supporting patients by planning and facilitating a survivor/caregiver support program.
• Independently conducts ongoing promotion to community groups that includes developing written materials and public presentations and collaborates with local health departments and other organizations.
• Promotes continuity of care by establishing and maintaining rapport with system providers involved in stroke care. 
• Functions as a contact, educator, and liaison for community services for individuals looking for prevention, screening, diagnostic treatment, clinical trial research participation and support services.
• Guides the patient in post treatment support and wellness opportunities-Utilizes follow-up to ensure patients’ progress through the heath care continuum.
• Promotes knowledge of disease process for the patient, family, and care providers.
• Identify barriers to care and utilizes resources to develop plans of care that addresses these issues at a system level.
• Collaborates with physicians to identify appropriate referrals for out-patient services and consults.

Qualifications:

• Graduate of an accredited School of Nursing.

• Valid license as Registered Nurse in Connecticut.

• BSN strongly preferred.

• BLS certification required.

• ACLS certification required

• Maintain minimum of 6 contact hours annually.

• Preferred Stroke Certified Registered Nurse (SCRN) or Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurse (CNRN), applicants can obtain certification within 2 years of hire.