Education, Compassion, Connection: An Engooden Care Navigator Story

“I really love empowering patients to take charge of their health and educating them on the things that you may not catch in a quick office appointment. I really enjoy going in-depth with them to help them further their health goals.” - Veronica, Engooden Care Navigator

Engooden care navigators are highly skilled and empathetic, focused on problem-solving and cultivating long-term relationships with patients through regular outreach. Our care navigators know that establishing a genuine level of trust and emotional connection with patients can help surface care gaps, insights, and opportunities for interventions.

Veronica is one of our care navigators who believes patient education is invaluable and that sometimes simple answers can make a profound difference in the lives of our patients. Recently, a new patient under Veronica's care struggled to overcome barriers at home, preventing her from accessing the treatment she needed.

Driving Better Health Outcomes
Veronica's patient has anxiety, chronic pain, and fatigue, cannot drive, and relies on her mother for transportation. She struggles with severe memory issues and has recently missed several appointments with her primary care provider (PCP) and neurologist. While talking with her, she disclosed that her mother was refusing to take her to her scheduled appointments. Since Alzheimer's runs in their family, the mother is afraid that both she and her daughter will be diagnosed and is avoiding the situation altogether.

Instead of dealing with it, her mother decided she wouldn't take her to any more appointments or assist her in getting a referral to a neurologist for evaluation. "To help her get her care back on track, I helped the patient set up some appointments with her primary care PCP, and I arranged for transportation," said Veronica. "She no longer needs to rely on her mother to get to and from her appointments, and she was able to get the referral for neurology."

Veronica's patient immediately felt the impact of Engooden's services. "When I called her back that same afternoon with an update, she started to cry, explaining how grateful she was," says Veronica. "All of that stress and worry she had built up over trying to figure out how she would get medical care without her mother's help. She was very emotional about not having the resources for herself and felt such deep relief after that call.

You never know what someone is dealing with, and I'm so happy I was there for her."

The Joys of Care Navigating
Our care navigators love making a difference in the lives of others. If you love building connections and lasting relationships with patients, it's the perfect role.

"I came to Engooden to do a lot of patient education, which is what I really love," Veronica says. "When I think about the experience with this patient, it was remarkable to see such a swift impact. She didn't know these options were available to her, and what takes me five minutes - connecting her with our resources - would've taken her a very long time, or she would have decided help was out of her reach.”

"Each patient has a story of their own. There are so many different ways that I can help them, and I love the friendships that we make. They trust me, and I can help them with things that come up in their lives or their symptoms. We relate to each other, and it just gives a whole different perspective on their life and their lifestyle and ways that we can improve it.

These patients start to trust you and love you. The patients are so sweet. Some have even extended invitations to holiday gatherings. When I call a patient, they're so excited to tell me about how they've listened to my advice, whether it's writing down their blood sugar every day or exercising. They often have a whole list to tell you how they've been doing.

You feel heard in this job, and it's a nice feeling. I was nervous about leaving the office, working from home, and only speaking on the phone with patients. I was worried I would lose that connection with them, but in reality, I feel a lot closer to my patients. I'm able to build relationships with them, they trust me, and we can work together to improve their health.

I think we, as care navigators, can offer so much. If someone is considering an opportunity to work for good, I would tell them to run, not walk towards Engooden. Every night when I close my computer and sign off, I feel like I have made a difference in multiple patients' lives."

Become a Care Navigator
Engooden has created a new standard of care for patients living with chronic conditions. If you’re interested in becoming a care navigator with Engooden, visit our careers page, and learn more about coming to work with Veronica and our fantastic team.