Orthopedic Nurse Navigator

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Orthopedic Nurse Navigator for a travel contract assignment in Salinas, California.

This role is ideal for a Registered Nurse with a strong orthopedic background, experience coordinating care across multiple departments, and the ability to guide patients throughout the orthopedic care journey.

The Orthopedic Nurse Navigator will serve as a central point of coordination for orthopedic patients, helping patients move efficiently from diagnosis and preoperative preparation through treatment, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and follow-up care.

Candidates should have at least 4 years of clinical nursing experience, recent orthopedic experience, strong knowledge of regulatory and quality standards, and recent hands-on experience using Epic.

Key Responsibilities

·        Serve as the primary clinical point of contact for orthopedic patients throughout their continuum of care.

·        Coordinate care between patients, physicians, surgeons, nursing teams, rehabilitation services, case management, and other departments.

·        Guide patients through preoperative, inpatient, postoperative, rehabilitation, and follow-up phases of orthopedic care.

·        Educate patients and families regarding procedures, recovery expectations, medications, rehabilitation, and discharge planning.

·        Identify barriers that may delay or interfere with treatment and coordinate appropriate resources.

·        Facilitate timely referrals, appointments, testing, consultations, and follow-up care.

·        Track patient progress and ensure continuity of care across departments and care settings.

·        Collaborate with orthopedic surgeons and clinical teams to support evidence-based care pathways.

·        Assist with development, implementation, and improvement of orthopedic programs and patient-care initiatives.

·        Support quality-improvement and performance-monitoring activities.

·        Maintain accurate clinical documentation in Epic.

·        Monitor orthopedic program outcomes and identify opportunities for process improvement.

·        Support compliance with hospital policies, clinical standards, and regulatory requirements.

·        Participate in interdisciplinary meetings, care conferences, and program-development initiatives.

·        Help ensure patients understand their treatment plans and have access to appropriate support resources.

·        Coordinate with rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, case management, and discharge planning teams as needed.

Required Qualifications

Candidates must have:

·        Active Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of California

·        Minimum 4 years of clinical nursing experience

·        Recent clinical experience in orthopedics

·        Experience with program development and implementation

·        Current BLS / Healthcare Provider certification through the American Heart Association

·        Orthopedic Nurse Certification through the Orthopaedic Nurses Certification Board or another relevant specialty certification

·        Recent Epic experience, with approximately 6–12 months of hands-on Epic use within the past year

·        Strong knowledge of orthopedic patient-care pathways

·        Strong written and verbal communication skills

·        Excellent coordination and problem-solving abilities

·        Ability to work effectively with patients, physicians, clinical staff, and community resources

Education Requirements

·        Nursing degree from an accredited nursing program

·        Bachelor's Degree in Nursing / BSN preferred

·        Candidates with an Associate Degree in Nursing may be considered when supported by appropriate experience, licensure, and specialty qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

Strong candidates may also have:

·        Clinical Nurse Specialist certification

·        Nurse Practitioner certification

·        Extensive orthopedic nursing experience

·        Experience developing or managing orthopedic service-line programs

·        Joint replacement or orthopedic surgery program experience

·        Experience coordinating multidisciplinary patient-care pathways

·        Experience with quality improvement and accreditation initiatives

·        Previous nurse navigator or patient navigator experience

·        Experience in an acute-care hospital environment

Regulatory & Quality Experience

Candidates should have a strong understanding of:

·        The Joint Commission (TJC) Disease-Specific Certification requirements

·        Healthcare quality and regulatory standards

·        Patient safety initiatives

·        Clinical documentation requirements

·        Quality-improvement processes

·        Performance measurement

·        Evidence-based orthopedic care pathways

·        Program compliance and continuous improvement

Key Clinical & Operational Skills

Successful candidates should be comfortable with:

·        Orthopedic nursing

·        Patient navigation

·        Care coordination

·        Orthopedic surgery pathways

·        Preoperative patient preparation

·        Postoperative care coordination

·        Discharge planning

·        Patient education

·        Rehabilitation coordination

·        Interdisciplinary collaboration

·        Program development

·        Quality improvement

·        Regulatory compliance

·        Epic documentation

·        Microsoft Word

·        Microsoft Excel

·        Patient tracking and follow-up

·        Problem solving and workflow coordination

Schedule Requirements

·        Monday through Friday

·        Day Shift

·        8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

·        40 hours per week

Schedule may occasionally vary based on patient-care needs, meetings, program responsibilities, or departmental requirements.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an experienced Registered Nurse with a strong orthopedic background who enjoys coordinating complex patient care and helping patients successfully navigate the healthcare system.

You should be highly organized, comfortable communicating with physicians and multidisciplinary clinical teams, and able to manage multiple patients and priorities simultaneously.

Strong candidates will combine clinical orthopedic expertise, patient education skills, program-development experience, regulatory knowledge, and care-coordination abilities.

This opportunity may be a strong fit for professionals currently working as an:

·        Orthopedic Nurse Navigator

·        Orthopedic RN

·        Nurse Navigator

·        Joint Replacement Nurse Navigator

·        Orthopedic Care Coordinator

·        Clinical Nurse Navigator

·        Surgical Nurse Navigator

·        Orthopedic Program Coordinator

·        Total Joint Coordinator

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants based on experience, education, licensure, certifications, clinical skills, and the requirements of the position.