Registered Nurse, Triage

The RN Triage Nurse is responsible for providing professional nursing care for practice patients following established standards and practices. Calls patients to provide updates/ education and to respond to questions patient may have. Assists physicians and staff in coordinating patient care. Functions as primary liaison between patients, staff and physicians.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Speaks directly with the patient to assess what is needed, level of urgency and manages call to an appropriate conclusion. RN acts independently on routine calls. All calls are read prior to departure at the end of the day. Calls assessed as urgent are responded to within½hourand non-urgent calls in a timely manner.

• Performs wound care, dressing changes, suture and staple removal and casting, as required.(Nurse Visits)
• Provides basic patient care as ordered. Documents all activities/interventions, patient/family responses, medication dispensed/prescribed, etc., in the electronic medical record.
• Promotes wellness by providing patient education materials, communicating physician advise/instructions.
• Adheres to infection control/safety guidelines and confidentiality policies.
• Dispenses DME as requested by provider and properly documents all such supplies in the EMR at the time given to patient.
• Assists with prescription preparation, entry into patient's chart and sending out electronically to the pharmacy. (100% of medication prescriptions are documented in the patient's chart.) Prescriptions for other treatment modalities such as PT. OT, Aqua Therapy, are also documented appropriately in the patient's chart. Follow up for lab work and diagnostic tests/ scheduling of urgent diagnostic testing.
• Maintains patient confidentiality.

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Must be able to function in a fast-paced setting demonstrating the ability to multitask and be able to support the various providers who will be working at the site.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Current unrestricted RN license
• Minimum of 2-3 years nursing experience in an acute care or hospital setting or case management experience required.
• Preferred candidates experience with discharge planning and outpatient care coordination.
• Orthopedic experience preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
• Strong problem solving skills with a flexible and creative approach.
• Ability to work independently.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills: able to communicate professionally and effectively with all members of the healthcare team as well as in simple, concise and soothing language to patients and their families.
• Uses appropriate telephone etiquette when performing telephonic duties

MENTAL DEMANDS

• Ability to handle various tasks simultaneously organizes, prioritizes, make decisions and work efficiently and effectively under deadlines.
• Ability to express oneself in a clear, concise and organized manner both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to think through a problem, analyze and break it down into parts to resolve or come up with a logical solution.
• Ability to exercise good judgment, keeping in mind company policies and procedures as guidelines.

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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Must be able to lift up to 30 pounds

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The employee is subject to inside environmental conditions.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• The environment is fast-paced and requires the ability to rapidly accept change, handle multiple tasks, and set priorities.
• Potential exposure to communicable diseases, bodily fluids, toxic substances and medicinal preparations.