Triage Registered Nurse

Position Title:       Triage Registered Nurse
Department:          Primary Care
Supervisor:           Director of Nursing
Hours per week:   40 hours
FLSA Status:         Non-exempt

Primary Function:

The Triage Registered Nurse is responsible for triaging and scheduling incoming calls, assessing patients’ needs and advising when to seek immediate care. The Triage Nurse provides health education using nursing judgment and following the health center’s protocol. 

Duties & Responsibilities:

•    Provide timely, efficient, and accurate triage responses and document according to nursing standards. 
•    Triage telephone calls from the nursing line and prioritize urgent matters and schedule appointments as needed.
•    Utilize the nursing process to assess, analyze, plan, implement and evaluate clinical concerns.
•    Demonstrate excellent customer service and organizational skills, demonstrating clear verbal and written communication.
•    Advise on patient care and treatment demonstrating knowledge of medications and effect/side effects.
•    Assist with patient education, review and follow up of lab results on routine basis.
•    Monitor and respond to critical care nursing pool and during incoming overhead pages for urgent matters and responding accordingly.
•    Communicate with urgent care medical assistant for appropriate urgent care appointment scheduling throughout the day.
•    While documenting incoming calls in nursing notes routing appropriate information to provider as needed such as follow up needed and/or urgent matters that apply.
•    Re-direct calls as appropriate, e.g. medical secretary, referral specialist, social services etc.

•    Educate patients about utilization of the clinic’s community services.
•    Check the EHR (OCHIN-EPIC) nurse pool throughout the day, including MyChart message responses, in basket follow up and any others that may apply.
•    Ability to provide care to a culturally diverse patient population.
•    Become cross-trained and provide coverage for the Transitions of Care Nurse, while working alongside.
•    Perform other duties as needed. 
 

Minimum Basic Knowledge:

•    Knowledge of clinical assessments and triage protocols in a community health center setting.
•    Knowledge of nursing practice in in an ambulatory care or community health setting preferred
•    Familiarity with electronic medical records [Epic] or willingness to learn.  
•    Knowledge of multicultural and multilingual patient population, sensitivity to socio-economic, trauma, and other factors impacting communities in need.  
•    Familiarity with UCC neighborhoods and agencies.

Experience & Qualifications:

•    Two years of nursing experience, preferably urgent care, triage or community health nursing.
•    Licensed as Registered Nurse in the state of Massachusetts, (B.S.N. preferred). 
•    Experience working in an FQHC, community health center, or similar setting.
•    Strong clinical assessment and triage skills.
•    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
•    Ability to manage patients with a diverse set of needs.
•    Strong verbal and communication skills.
•    Ability to work collaboratively as part of an interdisciplinary team.
•    Critical attention to detail and ability to work under pressure and establish priorities. 
•    Bilingual language skills in Spanish or Cape Verdean Creole preferred.

Essential Functions:    

•    Effective and efficient triage of patients contacting UCC via phone or MyChart, and prioritization of care.
•    Ability to work efficiently under pressure and adapt to changing priorities.
•    Effective and efficient delivery of services to a multicultural group of patients, with sensitivity to socio-economic, trauma, and other factors impacting communities of color. 
•    Effective communication and sharing of information with patients, providers and external partners.  
•    Collaborative approach to working with interdisciplinary team of internal and external providers.

•    Complete and accurate documentation of guidance provided to patients.  

Physical Requirements: 

•    Capacity to transport patients or things from place to place while bearing the weight 0-30 pounds.
•    Capacity to raise objects from lower to higher position, from higher to lower position and horizontally 0-30 pounds.
•    Capacity to sit for prolonged periods of time.

Supervisory Responsibility:
    None

Define Access Level to PHI:  Level 4: Authorized to access full health information. UCHC position and job responsibilities involve the provision of patient care and working as a clinical team member. Staff in this category level, although allowed full access, should only access the necessary information for each respective treatment encounter/circumstance.