Nurse Navigator-Emergency Department Full-time Days

Registered Nurse 8.0 Work-LifeNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$43-$68.8/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 2mo ago

Job Description

Company Description

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry.

As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system.

We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Job Description

The Nurse Navigator - ED reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

A skilled professional nurse with competence in a specialized area of nursing. Works cooperatively and communicates effectively within a multidisciplinary framework to actively promote holistic care for patients and their designees. Demonstrates self-direction and initiative in the role of nurse clinician, educator and consultant. Provides direct patient care and/or consultation using in-depth clinical knowledge and skills in area of expertise. AA/EOE

Promotes customer service and communication between the healthcare team and patient and/or designee.

Responsibilities

Effectively collaborates with the patient, their designees, and members of the healthcare team, while maintaining ANA standards of professional nursing practice.

  • Supports patient discharge through instructions and/or assistance with post emergency department care
  • Communicate and collaborate with emergency and other ancillary departments around care coordination

Serves as a resource for patients and their designees while coordinating additional resources as requested by the care team

Coordinates patient referrals to insurance companies and doctors’ offices as requested by Emergency Department leadership

  • Guides patient through post discharge follow ups as specified via outpatient pathway steps
  • Serves as an Emergency Department resource to facilitate communication
  • Provides teaching to patient and/or designee
  • Follows up on patients with specialized needs
  • Monitors quality of care, physician and patient satisfaction through follow up
  • Monitors database reports and identifies trends or opportunities for quality improvement
  • Complies with all existing policies and protocols related to patient care
  • Provides pathway coverage across the NM system as needed
  • Provides education surrounding the outpatient pathways to care teams through case follow-up and other formal educational materials as appropriate.
  • Performs routine programmatic maintenance and control, routine reporting out to ED leadership.
  • Collaborates with other stakeholder departments in maintaining and growing the outpatient pathway program.
  • Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications

Required

  • Licensed as a professional nurse in the state of Illinois
  • Baccalaureate degree from an accredited Nursing program
  • Two years of clinical experience as a Registered Nurse
  • Current related experience within the past five years
  • Current American Heart Association Certification: Basic Life Support / Healthcare Provider
  • Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing
  • Excellent customer service skills
  • Expert at crucial conversations
  • Analytical ability is required
  • Interact effectively and collaborate with patients, their designees, and multidisciplinary team

Preferred

  • Proficiency in Spanish
  • Prior case management or patient navigation experience in an acute or outpatient setting
  • American Heart Association Certification: ACLS
  • Specialty Certification in Nursing (BCEN/ENA or ANCC designated certification)
  • Two years clinical experience in Emergency Services or other hospital setting
  • Prior experience in program management and/or process improvement

Additional Information

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers.

If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check.

Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Sign-on Bonus Eligibility (if sign-on bonus offered for position): Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.

  • Job Shift: Day Job (1st)
  • Salary Range Minimum: $43.00
  • Salary Range Maximum: $68.80
  • Compensation: USD 43 - USD 68.8 - hourly

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Certifications

BLS

Key Skills

Patient educationMultidisciplinary collaborationEmergency nursingDocumentationRegulatory compliancePathway management

Emergency Nursing — Registered Nurse Career Context

Of the 45 active Emergency Nursing listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% are remote, 51% have no call, 67% require no weekends.

In Illinois, the Emergency Nursing weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$101k (11 salary observations; 18 listings), vs ~$103k nationally (131 salary observations; 630 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$116k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $116k in an average-cost state. 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Nurse Navigator-Emergency Department Full-time Days at Northwestern Memorial Healthcare a 8.0 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as excellent. This places the position in the top 5% in Emergency Nursing (RN) — ranked against 40 active Emergency Nursing (RN) listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no night shifts.

Top Registered Nurse Jobs

23 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution23 jobs · 17 employers

5
<$105k
7
$105k-125k
6
$125k-145k
2
$145k-165k
3
$165k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks17 jobs

401k / retirement match
100% this job
Sign-on bonus
12% this job
Loan repayment
12% this job
CME allowance
12%
PSLF eligible
6% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Director of Nursing (Remote)

Option Care Health · Washington, District of Columbia

$127k-$211k
#2

RN / Clinical Nurse Educator - Ambulatory Care

University of Washington · Seattle, Washington

$126k-$186k
#3

Director of Nursing DON - Acute Inpatient Mental Health 264

$144k-$165k
#4

Asst. Director of Nursing - Ambulatory Care - Newkirk Avenue

$136,708 - $150,000
+ 21 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 1.5this job 8.0
Among the best 10% of Emergency Nursing (RN) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 40 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No nights

Living in Chicago

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$356k
Typical market rent
$2,342/mo
Residents’ average commute
33 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

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

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare logo

About Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

Hospitals and Health Care
Chicago, Illinois
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Tuition reimbursement
Loan forgiveness
401(k) matching
Lifecycle benefits
Sign-on bonus eligibility