Articles & White Papers
I am often asked what navigation training certification is best for facilities to have their nurses attend so they can be certified as nurse navigators. My reply leads in with an explanation that there are no set required competencies or standards for nurse navigator training, and there is no certification to declare a “certified nurse navigator.”
Literacy experts agree that children need to read during the summer to maintain reading skills, improve reading confidence, and learn new words and concepts. Healthcare professionals that embrace lifelong learning use a 12-month reading program not just in the summer to apply the same principles to their education.
Healthcare continues to change with a focus on prevention and outpatient care versus the long-standing way of reactive, inpatient acute care. There continues to be a role for inpatient care in oncology, but payer sources will reward the limitation of hospital visits in the future.
One of the dilemmas navigators experience—being able to plan their time well, as well as to explain to others in designated blocks of time how their time is allocated on a given day or throughout a given week. Some time measurement is easy—3 hours spent conducting a community outreach event, for example.
When we are discussing minorities, we are usually referring to African American, Hispanic/Latino, and the American Indian/Alaska Natives in our society. In addition, underserved women are those who have a decreased income and socioeconomic status, lower education levels, commonly lack health insurance, and have limited access to healthcare in general. These patient populations are particularly challenging when facing the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
As summer approaches with plans for vacations, long weekends or quieter evenings, it is interesting to see and hear what colleagues have on their “to read” list.
How many metaphors can be used to describe a navigator’s job? It was interesting and visionary to hear all the descriptions given at the 2011 Navigation and Survivorship Conference.
How many evenings do you read articles or news related to work? It is a hazard of the job unless there is time built in at work….I know….I was just dreaming! In reality, reading about your specialty or oncology advances is a professional commitment to stay abreast of the latest for your patients. It is amazing what has transpired over the past 10 years in oncology—just look at all the news on multiple myeloma and melanoma.
It is enjoyable to visit other navigation programs and to see the unique processes that are being utilized to help patient’s access healthcare systems and move through the treatment trajectory.
After a recent navigation presentation, a participant approached me and commented, “Thank you, now I understand what our navigator does in her role.” The comment caused me to reflect...could that be the case where many of us work? Do people in our healthcare system know what we do?
