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Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Nurse Navigator- Sleep Surgery

Registered NurseNo weekendsNo nightsFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · Monday – FridayWeekdays only

Ask the employer about the pay range, call expectations and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

Duke Health Integrated Practice

Duke Health Integrated Practice comprises more than 110 primary and specialty outpatient clinics, extending the reach of the Duke Health mission across the state of North Carolina.

Job Location

Duke Otolaryngology of South Durham - 234 Crooked Creek Pkwy

Job Summary

We are seeking a Nurse Navigator in our Duke Otolaryngology of South Durham located in Durham, NC to be an integral member of the healthcare team to provide direct and indirect care to patients.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Patient Care and Clinical Management

Provide targeted symptom assessment and management for the identified patient population.

Clinically triage new patient referrals to ensure timely access to care.

Assess and document patient needs, goals, preferences, health literacy, and educational needs, integrating these into treatment and care delivery.

Provide clinical education regarding diagnosis, treatment, side effects, postoperative care, and ongoing care needs.

  • Coordinate postoperative care, including sleep studies and sleep medicine follow-up appointments.
  • Ensure adequate documentation for sleep medicine surgeries.
  • Participate in clinic as available.

Care Coordination and Patient Navigation

  • Assess and facilitate coordination of multidisciplinary care across the care continuum.
  • Facilitate multidisciplinary conferences and coordinate necessary follow-up appointments.
  • Collaborate with the multidisciplinary care team to expedite the sequence of diagnostic workup, active treatment, and post-treatment needs.
  • Bridge gaps in care and assess, troubleshoot, and address care transitions and barriers to care.
  • Gather necessary medical records prior to initial appointments and ensure they are available in the medical record.
  • Confirm receipt and completion of intake forms prior to initial appointments.
  • Maintain navigation services documentation according to program standards.
  • Maintain the sleep surgery outcomes database.

Patient and Provider Communication

Serve as a conduit between patients, families, providers, and clinical team members to facilitate communication and address patient needs.

  • Provide communication, advocacy, and education in a culturally competent manner.
  • Monitor and respond to patient telephone calls and MyChart communications.
  • Reinforce clinical information and care plans provided by the clinical team.
  • Encourage and empower patients to actively participate in decision-making regarding their treatment and care.

Enhance communication and coordination among patients, families, and members of the multidisciplinary care team.

Leadership, Education and Quality Improvement

  • Provide staff education, preceptorship, and mentorship as appropriate.
  • Participate in process improvement initiatives to enhance patient care, access, outcomes, and care coordination.
  • Support the ongoing evaluation and improvement of navigation services.
  • Maintain accurate and timely documentation in EPIC for all patient encounters.
  • Support program standards, quality metrics, and outcomes reporting.

Contribute to the development and implementation of practices that improve the patient experience and continuity of care.

JOB ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

  • BSN required.
  • Must have current or compact RN licensure in the state of North Carolina.
  • Three years of experience of specialty specific nursing in a hospital, clinic, or community setting.
  • Experience in nurse navigation preferred.
  • Experience in nurse navigation preferred.
  • BLS required.

JOB HOURS:

The schedule for this position would be day shifts Monday to Friday.

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes.

To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.

Key Responsibilities

The Nurse Navigator will provide direct clinical care, triage patient referrals, and coordinate multidisciplinary treatment plans for sleep surgery patients. They will also serve as a primary communication link between patients, families, and the clinical team to ensure continuity of care and improved patient outcomes.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a current North Carolina RN license. A minimum of three years of specialty-specific nursing experience and BLS certification are required.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Clinical triagePatient educationElectronic medical recordsPatient advocacyClinical documentation

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Nurse Navigator- Sleep Surgery at Duke University a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Surgery (RN) — ranked against 45 active Surgery (RN) listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements, no night shifts.

Surgery — Registered Nurse Career Context

Of the 50 active Surgery listings this role was benchmarked against, 22% are remote, 68% have no call, 76% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for North Carolina is 94.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 59.2% of North Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Registered Nurse Jobs

31 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution29 jobs · 24 employers

8
<$95k
6
$95k-115k
11
$115k-135k
4
$135k-155k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks25 jobs · 24 employers

401k / retirement match
96%
Sign-on bonus
16%
Loan repayment
4%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Asst. Director of Nursing - Ambulatory Care - Newkirk Avenue

Maimonides Medical Center · Brooklyn, New York

$136,708 - $150,000
#2

Director of Nursing

VitalCore Health Strategies · Gardner, Massachusetts

$128k-$146k
#3

Assistant Director of Nursing

$128k-$142k
#4

Utilization Review Registered Nurse - 40 hours

$39-$68.25/hr
+ 29 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.9this job 6.4
Better work-life than 80% of Surgery (RN) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 45 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
  • No nights
  • On-site

Living in Durham

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$363k
Typical market rent
$1,659/mo
Residents’ average commute
22 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
97.6
State income tax
Up to 4.8%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.