Hearing the words "you have cancer" is overwhelming for any patient and family dealing with this complex and difficult disease. Cancer care can be very confusing in that multiple providers are involved from the screening process, to diagnosis, testing, treatment, and survivorship. To make it easier for our patients, we have a nurse navigator program to help patients and their families throughout the cancer care journey.
An oncology nurse navigator is a professional registered nurse with cancer-specific clinical knowledge who helps patients, families, and caregivers successfully navigate their way through the process. An oncology nurse navigator also provides education and resources to facilitate informed decision-making and timely access to quality health and psychosocial care throughout all phases of the cancer continuum.
Research has shown that when nurse navigators become involved early enough after a person has received a cancer diagnosis, they can help steer patients and their families to appropriate care and timely treatment that could dramatically improve patients' chances of living with cancer as a manageable disease.