The Cardiac Nurse Navigator serves as a clinically expert, patient-centered coordinator across the continuum of cardiac care, functioning as a primary liaison between inpatient services, outpatient practices, procedural areas, and ancillary departments. This role facilitates seamless transitions, optimizes access, supports service line growth, improves outcomes, and enhances the patient and provider experience.
The Cardiac Nurse Navigator works collaboratively with cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, electrophysiologists, advanced practice providers, nursing leadership, care management, and administrative teams to ensure coordinated, timely, and evidence-based cardiac care delivery.
Key Responsibilities
1. Care Coordination & Continuum Management
- Coordinate patient care across inpatient units (primarily telemetry and CVU) procedural areas (cath lab, EP lab, OR), outpatient clinics, diagnostic services, and post-acute providers.
- Facilitate smooth transitions of care from hospital to outpatient follow-up, rehabilitation, home health, and specialty services.
- Serve as the central point of contact for patients navigating complex cardiac care pathways.
- Ensure timely scheduling of procedures, diagnostics, and follow-up appointments.
- Collaborate with case management and social work to address barriers to care, adherence, and access.
2. Patient Navigation & Education
- Provide individualized patient education regarding diagnoses, procedures, treatment plans, medications, and self-management strategies.
- Support patients and families through complex cardiac episodes (e.g., new diagnosis, structural heart interventions, advanced heart failure, arrhythmia management).
- Reinforce discharge instructions and ensure patient understanding of next steps in care.
- Serve as a consistent, trusted resource to reduce anxiety, improve engagement, and enhance satisfaction.
3. Inpatient–Outpatient Liaison Function
- Act as the communication bridge between hospital-based teams and outpatient cardiology.
- Ensure timely transmission of clinical information, care plans, and procedural outcomes.
- Coordinate handoffs between proceduralists, hospitalists, cardiologists, and outpatient providers.
- Support the alignment of inpatient and outpatient workflows to reduce fragmentation, delays, and duplication of services.
4. Service Line Support & Growth Enablement
- Support cardiac service line initiatives, including new program development, pathway implementation, and access optimization.
- Participate in multidisciplinary rounds, service line meetings, and program development committees.
- Assist with development and standardization of cardiac care pathways, protocols, and patient flow models.
- Identify gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement across the cardiac care continuum.
5. Quality, Outcomes & Performance Improvement
- Track and monitor patient progression across episodes of care.
- Support quality improvement initiatives related to readmissions, length of stay, patient experience, procedural throughput, and care transitions.
- Assist in data collection, audits, and outcome reviews related to cardiac services.
- Promote adherence to evidence-based practice, regulatory standards, and organizational policies.
6. Physician, APP & Team Collaboration
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with cardiologists, surgeons, APPs, nurses, and ancillary departments.
- Support physician practices with coordination needs, patient access issues, and care navigation.
- Participate in patient case conferences and multidisciplinary care planning.
Qualifications
- Current RN license in the state of practice.
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required; Master’s degree preferred.
- Minimum of 3–5 years of recent clinical experience in cardiac care (e.g., cardiology, cath lab, EP, CVICU, telemetry, heart failure, or cardiothoracic services).
- Strong clinical assessment, care coordination, and patient education skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work across departments and sites of care.
- Cardiac certification (e.g., PCCN, CCRN, CMC, CSC, CHFN) preferred.
- Experience in care management, navigation, or service line coordination preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Advanced understanding of cardiac disease processes, diagnostics, and treatments.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with patients, families, and clinicians.
- Ability to coordinate complex care across multiple departments and providers.
- High level of organization, prioritization, and follow-through.
- Comfort with data tracking, EMR navigation, and performance metrics.
- Ability to function independently while contributing to multidisciplinary teams.
Reporting Structure
Reports to Vice President of Surgical & Specialty Services.
Works closely with:
Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, CVU, Cath/EP Labs, Case Management, Quality, Outpatient Practices, Rehabilitation, and Diagnostic Services.
Location: Waterbury Hospital · Cardiovascular Care
Schedule: Full Time, Days, 40 HR Days 7-3:30
