SUMMARY:

The Triage Nurse is responsible for assessing and prioritizing the severity of a patient's condition upon arrival to a healthcare facility or during a telehealth consultation. They determine the urgency of medical attention required and facilitate the patient’s access to the appropriate level of care. This role involves quick, efficient, and effective decision-making to ensure that patients receive timely care based on their medical needs. This position reports to the Practice Administrator.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Patient Assessment:

Perform initial patient assessments by gathering medical history, current symptoms, vital signs, and relevant health information.
Prioritize patients based on the severity of their condition using established triage protocols.
Reassess patients waiting for care, particularly in emergency settings, and adjust priorities as necessary.

Clinical Decision-Making:

Use nursing judgment and triage protocols to categorize patients and direct them to the appropriate care setting (e.g., emergency department, clinic, or telehealth services).
Provide care instructions to patients, such as self-care recommendations or preparing for further medical evaluation.
Identify life-threatening conditions and initiate emergency interventions as needed.

Care Coordination:

Communicate patient conditions to healthcare providers, such as physicians or nurse practitioners, ensuring timely response and treatment.
Collaborate with other healthcare team members to ensure smooth patient flow and delivery of care.
Arrange and coordinate patient referrals to specialists or other departments when necessary.

Telehealth & Phone Triage:

Provide remote triage services by evaluating patient symptoms over the phone or via telehealth platforms.
Advise patients on home care, determine the need for an in-person consultation, or refer them to emergency services based on the situation.
Document telehealth consultations in electronic medical records (EMR).

Documentation & Record-Keeping:

Maintain accurate, detailed records of patient assessments, triage decisions, and care recommendations.
Ensure that all clinical information is recorded promptly in the patient’s electronic medical record.
Follow hospital or clinic protocols for reporting and escalating critical patient conditions.

Patient Education & Communication:

Educate patients and their families about immediate care, symptom monitoring, and when to seek further medical attention.
Communicate clearly and effectively with patients, explaining triage decisions and next steps in their care.
Answer patient questions and provide emotional support to alleviate concerns.

Adherence To Protocols:

Follow established triage and emergency care protocols, ensuring compliance with healthcare facility policies and procedures.
Stay up to date with best practices in triage nursing, emergency care, and clinical guidelines.

Quality & Safety:

Participate in quality improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing patient triage and care processes.
Contribute to efforts to maintain a safe and efficient work environment for both patients and staff.

COMPETENCIES:

Strong assessment and decision-making skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
Ability to work well under pressure in fast-paced environments.
Competency in using electronic medical records (EMR) and telehealth platforms.
Knowledge of emergency care protocols and triage systems (e.g., Emergency Severity Index (ESI)
Basic typing and keyboarding skills
Accuracy and attention to detail
Demonstrates flexibility by adapting to new and changing situations and duties in order to accommodate patient needs effectively
Works independently
Ability to prioritize responsibilities
Requires adherence to all policies and procedures, including standards for safety, attendance, punctuality and personal appearance
Must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Physicians, Supervisors and peers

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position has no supervisory responsibilities,

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and fax machines.

Occupational Exposure:

Category 1 Has a high risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens

Category 2 Has a moderate risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens

Category 3 Has a low risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Hearing: Adequate to perform job duties in person and over the telephone.

Speaking: Must be able to communicate clearly to patients in person and over the telephone.

Vision: Visual acuity adequate to perform job duties, including reading information from printed sources and computer screens.

Other: Requires frequent bending, reaching, and repetitive hand movements, standing, walking, squatting and sitting, with some lifting up to 25 pounds, pushing and pulling exerted regularly throughout a regular work shift.

POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK:

This is a full-time position, 40 hours per week.

Education:

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred; Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) accepted or Licensed Practical Nurse.
Active Registered Nurse (RN) license required or
A current valid Professional Nursing License (LPN).

Experience:

Minimum of 2 years of experience in a clinical setting, preferably in emergency or critical care.
Experience in telehealth or outpatient triage is a plus.

Certifications:

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) certifications required.

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

OBGYN Associates of Erie

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