Telephone Triage Nurse
By EveryNurse Staff on January 10, 2023
A telephone triage nurse is a nursing professional that helps patients determine what type of care they need over the phone. They often provide a cursory assessment of the patients and help them decide if they need to seek emergency treatment, make an appointment with a doctor, or treat themselves at home.
What Is a Telephone Triage Nurse?
Telephone triage is known by a few different names, including telehealth nursing and telepathology. This medical specialty is designed to help patients who cannot get to a doctor’s office or hospital determine the level of care they may need. Unlike other types of medical specialties, however, professionals that work in telephone triage must help patients determine this purely by speaking to them on the phone. The majority of medical professionals that work in this field are licensed nurses, known as telephone triage nurses.
Telehealth services have many advantages over traditional healthcare services. First and foremost, a telephone triage nurse can easily assist patients in assessing the severity of their health problems without them having to visit a doctor or hospital. This is especially helpful to patients that find it difficult to get to a medical facility or pay for medical services. Telephone triage nurses also help doctors reduce their patient load by helping patients with minor health issues determine whether they need emergency medical attention, which can reduce overcrowding and waiting time in emergency medical facilities.
The majority of telephone triage services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because of this, telephone triage nurses may be required to work odd hours, including night shifts.
As a telephone triage nurse, you must possess excellent communication skills and think on your feet. In particular, you must listen to patients, assess their individual situations quickly, and explain what type of care they may need.
What Does a Telephone Triage Nurse Do?
Telephone triage nurses are responsible for answering calls from patients and assessing their medical needs. Telephone triage nurses do not have the ability to examine the individuals physically, so they must make decisions based on the patient’s inputs.
Gather Basic Information
The first step for a telephone triage nurse is to gather basic information about the patient. This begins with basic information about the identity, age, sex, weight, and height of a patient. To accurately assess patients and recommend the proper level of care, these nurses will also ask patients about their symptoms, existing health problems, and any relevant history of medical issues.
Assess the Patient’s Condition & Make Recommendations
Once a patient’s information has been collected, a telephone triage nurse should assess a patient’s condition rather quickly. The nurse will then recommend an appropriate level of care based on these details and possibly point them toward additional resources. For example, if a patient is experiencing heavy bleeding due to an injury, a telephone triage nurse will urge them to seek emergency medical attention. On the other hand, if a patient is experiencing a minor medical problem, such as mild cold symptoms, a telephone triage nurse may advise them on how to ease the symptoms and advise them to make an appointment with their doctor.
Additionally, if a patient does not have a regular doctor, a telephone triage nurse can refer them to local doctors in their area. Also, these nurses may give out information that they believe their patients may find useful. For instance, they may advise low-income individuals of social welfare programs to help them pay for necessary medical care.
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Where Do Telephone Triage Nurses Work?
Telephone triage nurses are trained to assess a caller’s symptoms and then determine the severity of their condition. They are specially trained to listen, communicate effectively, and offer advice. These nurses work in hospital emergency rooms, urgent care centers, mobile clinics, or call centers, saving doctors valuable time by triaging patients over the phone.
How to Become a Telephone Triage Nurse
As technology continues to advance, more and more people are relying on telehealth services. The range of services that health care providers offer is growing, and so is the demand for providers to enable their services. A telehealth nurse is a health care provider who delivers services over the telephone and online.
The following description will provide you with the steps needed to become a telephone triage nurse:
- Attend a nursing school: There are many nursing schools, but even more online — you’ll need to earn either an ADN or BSN. Make sure you apply and enroll in an accredited nursing program.
- Pass the NCLEX: This allows you to become a Registered Nurse and start practicing
- Gain Experience: Bedside and in-person experience is crucial, especially in building communication skills and becoming more competent in patient care. Many telehealth nurses work in ambulatory care, so take the AMB-BC Certification, which lasts for up to 5 years.
- Join an organization: Telehealth nursing is a broad field. You need to join an association that can help you find job openings, provides support, and share information with like-minded professionals.
Additional Resources for Telephone Triage Nurses
Telephone Triage Nurse FAQ
Glassdoor reports an estimate of $70,176 per year. While telehealth does not have as much financial upside as other nursing careers, the ability to work from home and the benefits of being a practicing nurse are compelling. The downside includes potential decreases in job satisfaction, being confined to the four walls of your home, and fewer opportunities for advancement.
Yes, the beauty of telemedicine is you are not confined to a specific area thanks to technology. As long as you are an RN, are employed by a health care provider, you can be a telemedicine nurse. There are specific telehealth standards that outline the standards of care that are available at the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nurses.
The three categories are immediate, urgent care, and non-urgent care. Immediate is life-threatening injuries. Urgent care requires immediate attention but is non-life threatening. Non-urgent care are typically minor injuries and medical help, but with less urgency than the others.
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