Triage RN

Triage RN

Salary Range $48.00 - $62.04 Hourly Job Shift Any

The Triage Nurse works under the supervision of the Patient Care Manager to provide skilled nursing assessment and care for the comfort and health of patients and families. Responsible for identifying patient/family needs in order to provide supportive care in accordance with plan of care and Community Hospice & Health Services policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Telephone triage of patient/family phone calls for symptom management, emotional and practical support. Respond to phone calls within 15 minutes.
• Perform scheduled home visits to assess needs; teach caregivers pain management, symptom control and patient care skills; and provide physical, emotional and spiritual support to the patient/family.
• Document nursing visits and phone calls in the electronic medical record by the end of shift.
• Attend nursing department meetings, All Staff meetings, and required in-services. Complete 100% of required in-services. Attend 80% of other mandatory in-services and meetings. It is the responsibility of Triage Nurses to read meeting minutes and to obtain report from the designated attendee.
• Follows all Community Hospice & Health Services policies and procedures including, but not limited to, safety, infection control, privacy and confidentiality, and HIPAA.
• Maintain RN license in accordance with federal, state and local laws, and must act only within the scope of his or her state license. All personnel qualifications must be kept current at all times.

Admissions/Tuck-Ins

• Responsible for nursing assessment and initial care planning prior to and during the hospice admission process. Initial assessment to include introduction of hospice services and initial problem-solving meeting with patient/families.
• Responsible for doing consults (answering questions for patients/families about hospice services) and evaluations (assessing patient current condition and recent history to assist team in evaluating appropriateness for hospice services). Consults and evaluations will be scheduled at the earliest opportunity agreed upon by the patient/family and documented on the Preadmission Contacts form.
• Responsible for providing back up support for nursing visits in times of crisis or unusual need. Home visits made as assigned and documentation complete within one business day.
• Maintain regular communication with Patient Care Manager and keep her/him informed of any unusual or problematic patient/family issues effecting the admission process and ongoing patient care.
• Initiate communication with attending physicians, other hospice team members and other community agencies as needed to coordinate optimal care and use of resources for patient/family. Communication with triage will be completed by the end of the business day. Report will be given to the assigned case manager by voice mail left on phone line by 9:00am of the first business day following admission. Physicians will be contacted as needed to update the plan of care. Requests for community resource referrals will be given to the assigned Social Worker within 24 hours of contact.
• Complete accurate and timely documentation of the initial assessment and plan of care. Admission documentation will be complete in the electronic medical record by the end of shift
• Attend death events and provide appropriate support at time of death.
• Participate in Community Hospice & Health Services orientation and supervision of students. Makes joint visits with students and assists in teaching of hospice concept.

Other Functions:

• Maintain a professional appearance of self and working area; exhibit appropriate behavior with guests and clients, i.e., courteous, thoughtful and professional at all times.
• Other duties as assigned, including work in other areas to cover absences or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise meet the needs of the organization.
• Responsible for establishing and maintaining a safe environment for patients/families, and a safe working environment for self and coworkers.
• Performs job duties and interacts with patients/families, Community Hospice & Health Services staff, and community members in a courteous and professional manner.
• Maintains all required confidentiality and privacy requirements of both the organization and the regulatory agencies that have oversight of and for Community Hospice & Health Services.

Success Factors:

• Maturity and ability to cope with the demands of the job.
• Empathetic attitude toward the care and needs of the terminal patient and their family.
• Able to recognize and follow healthy emotional boundaries.
• Ability to work in a dynamic, rapidly changing environment.
• Excellent listening, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to follow written directions and to provide accurate and timely documentation.
• Ability to work as a member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Demonstrated ability to assess and respond to needs of patients/families in varied settings.
• Able to cope with patient/family emotional environment and provide crisis intervention.

Qualifications

• At least one-year recent experience within the last three years as a professional nurse.
• Possession of a current license to practice as a registered nurse in the State of California.
• Timely renewal required.
• Possession of a valid California Driver's License and current automobile insurance. Timely renewal required.
• CHPN preferred.
• Possesses and maintains current CPR certification.

Work Environment: The main environment for this position is in the patients' homes, which vary in levels of cleanliness, accessibility, and climate control. The employee may be exposed to virus, disease and infection from patients. The employee may experience situations, with emotionally disturbed, substance abuse, serious illness, and deceased patients. While performing the duties of this position, the employee will travel by automobile and is exposed to changing weather conditions.

Work Schedule: Position is regular full-time required to work a regularly scheduled 10-hour work shift, with overtime required to meet patient needs. Position may also require rotating weekends and holidays and on call time. Part-time (20 29 hours per week) positions may be occasionally utilized, if justified by department needs.

Community Hospice & Health Services