Nurse Navigators

When faced with a cancer diagnosis, patients deal with a whole host of issues—emotional, logistical, financial—making it difficult to focus on their treatment and return to health. The Fox Chase Cancer Center Nurse Navigators are clinically trained individuals responsible for the identification and removal of barriers to timely and appropriate cancer treatment.

• Prepare you for your visit before you even arrive on campus

• After you call Fox Chase to schedule an appointment, a Nurse Navigator will connect with you within 24 hours. Based on the clinical information surrounding your diagnosis, she will make sure you are scheduled for the appropriate type of appointment. She will make sure you are aware of what you will need to bring or send ahead prior to visit, and answer any questions you may have about coming to Fox Chase. If you need slides, scans or records to be delivered from another institution, your Nurse Navigator will direct you on how to have your information sent to Fox Chase prior to your appointment and explain why this is so important in your clinical visit and decision making.

• Help you understand your diagnosis and answer your clinical questions - from the very first call.

• All of our Nurse Navigators are experienced, oncology certified nurses with a high degree of clinical expertise. Because they are your first point of contact after you schedule your appointment, you can begin asking clinical questions you may be concerned about right away. Nurse Navigators are equipped with knowledge to help you better understand your diagnosis and treatment options, which can help reduce anxiety.

• Expedite your care, where possible

• Nurse navigators will work within clinicians' schedules in order to secure you an appropriate, timely appointment. Often, they can help coordinate your schedule so you can take care of multiple appointments and tests in the same day.

• Greet you and introduce you to your care team

• When you arrive on campus, your Nurse Navigator will greet you in person and introduce you to your team of medical specialists, who will tailor an individualized, comprehensive treatment plan for you based on your diagnosis.

• Help you "connect the dots"

• The treatment journey has many steps, which can lead you to different locations and specialists throughout the Center. To help you transition, your Nurse Navigator will make sure you know what the various phases of your treatment will be, who you will meet, and where you will need to go.

• Help you overcome various barriers to care by educating and referring you to other services you may need

• In seeking treatment, patients may come across various barriers which make it difficult to navigate the healthcare system. There are a whole range of issues that can come up, which may be related to transportation, finances, insurance, language, communication, fear, anxiety, or family support. You may need additional services outside of your medical treatment to help you cope with these issues. Your Nurse Navigator is aware of the resources available to you, and can refer you to the services you may need many of which are available in-house, right at Fox Chase, or in the nearby community. Often, based on a patient's needs, the Nurse Navigator can begin to coordinate the necessary resources before the patient even arrives at the Center.

• Follow your care through the cancer continuum from diagnosis, to treatment, to survivorship

• The medical personnel you see will change as you move through the different phases of your treatment. From your first phone call to the conclusion of your treatment to follow up visits, your Nurse Navigator will be a resource to you throughout your journey.

• Act as your advocate, educator, and go to person

• Above all, Nurse Navigators seek to be champions for their patients, making sure they get what they need for treatment and otherwise whenever possible. They will answer or resolve your questions, concerns and issues or find someone who can. As your journey evolves, your Nurse Navigator will remain a constant.