What does a patient navigator do?
Pat Himlie, RN, BSN
What do you do?
Believe it or not, I get this question a lot. “What does a patient navigator do?”
I’m the person that takes all the stuff that gets in the way, out of the way, so you can get the care you need.
I used to be a runner. I didn’t do hurdles, but I remember always thinking, how do they do that?
Imagine us standing at the starting line, staring down the track at the rows of hurdles. I know you’re wondering, “How do I get over these?” But then you hear me say, “Wait a second,” as I walk down the track and remove each hurdle before walking back to the starting line so we can walk down your path together.
But what does that really look like?
When I become your patient navigator I can see the clinic schedule as well as what drugs you are taking. This allows me to populate my calendar with dates I know, from experience, you will most likely be experiencing side-effects. In my opinion, side effects can be one of the most scary things...what’s “normal” and to be expected and what’s not?
We’ll talk about your treatment experience. If necessary, we’ll get you back into the doctor, which starts with another phone call I make to your doctor’s nurse.
Going through any change alone, let alone treating your cancer, is tough. That’s why I’m here. Don’t be afraid to call. I can help you work through the obstacles but I can also just talk. Sometimes it’s nice to just think out loud with someone. That someone is me.
Reader Comments (2)
Je suis récemment tombé sur votre blog et ont lu le long. Je pensais que je quitterais mon premier commentaire. Je ne sais pas quoi dire sauf que j'ai apprécié la lecture. Blog de Nice, je vais continuer à visiter ce blog très souvent. machine a sous
That seems to be a new kind of job for me. Do you enjoy doing it? i mean i think it seems to be tiring running all around the place every now and then.
cold sores treatment