Telephonic Triage Nurse

About the position Under the general supervision of the Director of Nursing, the Triage Nurse will be responsible for patient triaging, the nurse phone line, assist with nurse case management, nursing assessments, collaboration with providers and other departments, and provision of quality patient care in compliance with local, state and federal regulations and accreditation standards. The telephonic triage nurse must adhere to Kintegra Health’s Teleworking Policy.

Responsibilities

• Monitors and responds to triage calls in person and/or on the nurse phone line.
• Talks directly to patients on the telephone and then directs them to emergency rooms (ERs), urgent care centers, and home care advice or to schedule patients to their physician during office hours.
• Determines urgency of seeing the patient based on brief assessment and on familiarity with a patient’s condition and history.
• Uses computerized clinical decision-making including algorithms that closely imitate physician logic and thought patterns, as guide.
• Sends patients with high-risk chief complaints such as chest pain, abdominal pain, or severe headaches to ER immediately or arranges for ambulance.
• Provides appropriate home health advice to patients who do not need to go directly to the ER.
• Ensures accurate notes of all consultations and treatments are recorded in the patients’ record via Electronic Health Record
• Arranges appointments for patients who do not need to go to ER but need to see a physician.
• Consults with physician as needed.
• Serve as a clinical resource and professional role model for other nursing staff.
• Prioritizes work tasks and services and completes tasks in a timely manner.
• Assist in medical chart reviews and compiling data for audits and reports.
• Assist Managing Nurse with developing nursing policies and procedures.
• Maintains accurate, clear and concise progress notes, problem lists, and medication lists.
• Provides patient education regarding disease processes, therapies and healthful behaviors.
• Participates in staff, planning, in-service, and other meetings as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Must be able to sit, stand and walk for long periods of time, able to read and understand the English language, able to effectively maintain confidentiality of health information and communicate with all levels of personnel.
• Must have knowledge and understanding for chronic illness and health promotion.
• Current RN or LPN license without restrictions.
• 3 years of nursing experience

Nice-to-haves

• one year including triage
• Associates Degree Nursing
• BLS required
• ACLS/PALS