Nurse Navigators Guide Cancer Patients

A cancer diagnosis can leave you feeling stunned and overwhelmed. But at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, you don’t have to navigate your cancer journey alone. From diagnosis through recovery, our nurse navigators guide patient appointments, tests, treatments, follow-up and more – answering questions and providing emotional support every step of the way.

Nurse navigators make sure everything is ready for a patient to see a specialist, including collecting medical record information for the doctor’s analysis, getting orders for additional tests when needed and identifying support services for the patient.

Nurse navigators also:

• Talk with patients who may be unclear about their diagnosis. 
• Answer questions patients may have about their diagnosis and treatments.
• Prepare the patient for the first visit with the physician.
• Provide emotional support for patients and family members.

Connecting patients with resources

Nurse navigators also connect patients with community resources to help with issues they may have. For instance, they may help patients get gas cards or vouchers to offset travel costs, find lodging for those traveling from a long distance or schedule an appointment with a nutritionist. They provide emotional support and clinical expertise, as well.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center launched its nurse navigator system in 2011 as one more way to help improve the patient experience and increase overall patient satisfaction. Nurse navigators are responsible for working step by step with new patients to help make their cancer journeys a little easier.