Welcome back to Navigation Refresh, a recurring, informative feature for novice and seasoned patient navigators alike. In this issue, we will talk about the importance of self-care as a patient navigator and how living into our values can center us during complex decision-making in stressful environments—like oncology.
As cancer patient navigators, balancing the demands of your work with personal well-being is critically important. This wellness wheel provides some reminders for self-care, grounded in purpose.1 At the heart of this model is your reason for doing what you do each day. In your role, your purpose might be helping people through their cancer journeys, advocating for their care, or navigating complex systems to remove barriers—what feels most motivating and inspiring to you?
Every other component in this wheel supports your central purpose:
As a patient navigator, just as you encourage your patients to prioritize self-care, optimize wellness, and stay connected to their communities, your health and ability to help others depend on you prioritizing these aspects for yourself. By fostering these habits, you create a solid foundation to continue fulfilling your purpose—supporting people through their cancer journeys.
The American Psychiatric Association says that having a strong sense of purpose is associated with better health, less stress, elevated resilience, and greater life satisfaction.3 I do not know any patient navigator who could not use less stress and elevated resilience! I encourage you to think about why you became a patient navigator, nurse navigator, or social worker. What led you to this profession? If you were to write a sentence that focused your purpose as a navigator, what would it say?
Social work researcher, Brené Brown, suggests getting very clear on our values to align our purpose with those values. She provides a brief Living Into Our Values exercise available at https://brenebrown.com/resources/living-into-our-values/.4 In this exercise, she asks the reader to prioritize 2 values and then answer a number of questions, including the following:
As a navigator, you often hear heartbreaking patient journeys. You may sometimes feel like the time and effort it takes to solve problems and advocate for your patients goes unseen. Getting clear on your why can help you stay motivated and emotionally grounded when things are challenging. It can also help you clarify what is important and what is noise, helping you more confidently make complex decisions. I asked 3 patient navigators what their why was, and here is what they said:
I entered this field because I believe in walking alongside individuals, listening, being present, and offering care, love, and laughter when it’s needed to make the journey less heavy and a little brighter. I deeply believe that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and supported on their health journey. What keeps me going, even when things are tough, is seeing how a conversation, a resource, or a simple act of care can transform a patient’s experience. —Claudia Campos Galvan, GW Cancer Center
My why for navigation is deeply personal, founded in my late husband’s cancer journey and the gift his navigator was for us. It was in actively becoming a navigator and running a navigation program after his death that I truly felt the profound positive impact navigation and navigators of all kinds (patient navigators, nurse navigators, screening navigators, etc) have on patients, families, the clinical team, and communities. Navigation is the ultimate real world: real-life elimination of barriers to care for patients in our deeply imperfect health system wrought with inequities. —Jess Quiring, Patient Navigation Advisors
My why is rooted in lived experience. As both a cancer survivor and a caregiver, I’ve seen how guidance, compassion, and advocacy can transform the cancer journey. I became a navigator to ensure no one faces cancer feeling unseen or unsupported. What keeps me going is witnessing hope restored when a patient feels heard, a barrier is lifted, or a path becomes clear. Those moments remind me that navigation isn’t just a profession, it’s an act of humanity. I started this work to bridge the gap between care and understanding, and I stay because every life touched brings us closer to true health equity. —Zarek Mena, SHARE Cancer Support | Patient Navigation Advisors
So what is your why? What brought you here and what keeps you in oncology patient navigation? Take the time to reflect on your path, your values, and your goals as a navigator.
Now write your why: “I navigate patients with cancer because_________________________________.”
Share your why with a peer for accountability, and put this motivation in a place you can see every day. Your authentic connection to your values will be noticed by patients and will foster trust of others and resilience for yourself. Reconnecting with your purpose is not only restorative, it is a form of professional development. When we know our why, we can lead with empathy, communicate with clarity, and advocate with renewed strength. Research has shown that professionals who align daily work with personal values report lower burnout and greater fulfillment.3
What is 1 small way you can live into your values more fully during patient interactions this week? Make a note and put this in a visible place you can see every day.
This edition of Navigation Refresh aligns with Standard 10: Self-Care of the Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force (PONT).5
Thank you to Zarek Mena, Jess Quiring, Claudia Campos Galvan, and Kelly Angel for providing feedback on an earlier draft of this Navigation Refresh.
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