Level 1: Health Navigation Fundamentals
Available in-person and online
3.5 Day Hybrid Course (4 hours online prework/3 days in-person) OR
8 weeks online with Live Learning Sessions
Network with other navigators while you improve your skills
Health Navigation Fundamentals is designed to improve basic patient navigation skills. This comprehensive course is introductory “Level 1” training for health navigators who want to gain navigation skills and knowledge of patient resources, basic health promotion, professional conduct and motivational interviewing. Don‘t miss this opportunity to network with other navigators!
Please Note: To receive a certificate of completion for this course you must attend and actively participate in the entire program of training (online and face to face). Before class begins, you must also complete online prework activities to prepare you for small group discussions and other learning activities.
What Our Participants Are Saying:
“I’ve been to many trainings, but never one as educational, fun and overall as GREAT as this one.”
“What made this course so beneficial was the level of interactivity. The ice-breakers helped us learn more about each other and have fun … while the practice sessions forced us to step into the patient navigator role and try out new tools.”
“The trainers were by far the best part of this course. Their motivation, openness, and willingness to teach and learn was highly motivating.”
Course Topic Areas
Patient Navigator Basic Skills
Patient navigators build relationships, solve problems and locate resources. This topic area discusses patient navigator roles and responsibilities and allows you to practice effective communication and problem-solving skills. Navigators will also learn how to locate and evaluate patient resources and learn strategies for working with the healthcare team, community agencies, and organizations that serve patients.
Patient Navigator Professional Conduct
Patient navigators work closely with patients, develop trust and learn about their personal lives. Sometimes the line between a professional and personal relationship can become unclear. This topic area clarifies the role of a patient navigator and provides tips for keeping patient relationships professional. We also explore ethical issues faced by patient navigators and discuss how to approach ethical decisions.
Basic Health Promotion
Health disparities and how to promote good health is the topic focus of this day. You will learn about health literacy, health behavior, and how to identify a patient’s readiness for change.
Introduction to Motivational Interviewing
This 6-hour overview presents basic concepts of motivational interviewing. You will learn how asking open-ended questions and reflective listening can help a client talk about and change health behavior.
Course Learning Objectives
Patient Navigation History and Overview
- Describe the history and purpose of patient navigation
- Describe the role and responsibility of the patient navigator
- Write a short statement that describes your role as a patient navigator
- Describe ways to develop effective relationships with other healthcare team members
Patient Communication Strategies
- Describe communication strategies for building effective client relationships
- Describe effective ways to ask questions that assess patient needs
- List ways to resolve conflict
- Identify problem-solving steps in healthcare team member relationships
- Assess patient strengths and barriers to care
Patient Resources
- Create a community resource map
- Describe effective communication skills and strategies for working with community agencies and patient resource organizations
- Identify characteristics of credible and non-credible Internet resources
Professional Boundaries
- Describe a professional “caring relationship”
- Describe ways to maintain professional boundaries
- Identify the signs of compassion fatigue
- Create a healthy boundaries self-care plan
Ethical Decision Making
- Identify your dominant approach to decision making
- Describe four common approaches to ethical decision making
- Describe the values-based decision-making process
Patient Confidentiality and Patient Bill of Rights
- List day-to-day activities that involve patient confidentiality and are subject to HIPAA regulations
- Identify the main components of the Patient’s Bill of Rights
Health Disparities
- Define “social determinants of health” and “health disparities”
- Identify common causes of health disparities
- Identify ways to provide culturally competent services and address language barriers
Assess Patient Readiness for Change
- Assess client readiness to make health decisions
- Apply health beliefs to reduce barriers and deliver health messages
Health Literacy
- Describe why it is important to improve health information readability
- Re-write a health information paragraph at an 8th grade reading level
- List ways to tailor health messages to client needs
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- Define MI
- Demonstrate the four communication skills used in MI
- Discuss the use of importance and confidence in MI