LPN - Triage Nurse

Job Description

Job Description

Description :

PURPOSE : The Triage Specialist (“Specialist”) works closely with medical providers, the Health Center’s Practice Manager and WHN’s Director of Quality to provide coordination of services for patients of all ages within WHN’s integrated health care delivery system. He / she provides medical triage and scheduling of patients at the assigned Health Center. The Specialist handles all patient calls related to medical care or scheduling, including calls for information, test results, refills and appointments.

The Specialist assists Health Center medical staff with urgent / emergent situations and referrals to emergency services when needed. Within the scope of his / her training and license, the Specialist may provide general nursing functions to all age groups and to all providers based on staffing and clinic activity. Also, the Specialist may provide age-specific and health prevention nursing care and treatments as ordered. The Specialist may screen patients as well as provide specific, provider-ordered nursing care such as vaccinations, immunizations, breathing treatments, dressing changes etc. The Specialist works closely with all WHN staff to evaluate patient satisfaction and outcomes of care.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES : (Note : An asterisk indicates an essential job function; in this job description, items 1.A. + 1.B. plus all the duties listed in item 2 are limited to WHN employees with appropriate levels of clinical training and experience.)

• Triage & Scheduling (75%) :

A. T elephone Triage .

1) Triages patients prior to making appointments based upon training and using a planned triage process to determine acuity and timeliness of appointments. Based upon the Specialist training and experience, he / she will refer certain calls to the Health Center’s Nurse Manager for additional triage prior to making an appointment.

2) If the results of a telephone triage indicate the patient’s needs are urgent, attempts to schedule patients as soon as possible, weighing variables like assessed acuity, availability of service appointments at the Health Center or throughout the WHN system, or if a referral to an Urgent Care provider.

3) Collaborates with other professional disciplines to assist the consumer in gaining access to primary care services. Such collaboration includes internal resources, (i.e., Health Center & WHN professionals), as well as external resources (i.e., other community medical providers such as hospital emergency rooms or social service agencies).

B. Face-to-Face Triage.

1) Provides direct triage services to walk-ins, special requests, and patients experiencing an emergency. Based upon the Specialist training and experience, he / she will refer certain patient encounters to the Health Center’s Nurse Manager for additional triage prior to making an appointment. Determines consumers’ needs accordingly :

a. assessing and triaging patients based on a planned process of physical assessment including respiratory status, heart and lung sounds, medication requirements, and stated history of treatment compliance;

b. completing a Nursing Assessment that reviews the consumer’s physical, psychological, emotional, social, spiritual needs including the immediate needs of vulnerable, aged, disadvantaged or homeless and assisting with an appropriate triage solution; and

c. while adhering to WHN’s Mission & Values, utilizes good customer service skills to diffuse potentially volatile situations.

2) Collaborates with other professional disciplines to assist the consumer in gaining access to primary care services. Such collaboration includes internal resources, (i.e., Health Center & WHN professionals), as well as external resources (i.e., other community medical providers such as hospital emergency rooms or social service agencies).

3) When indicated and based upon findings related to the acuity of a consumer’s medical needs as obtained through the utilization of the nursing process, initiates nursing care.

4) When feasible, schedules appointments, including adjusting Health Center providers’ daily schedules in order to meet the needs of walk-in or urgent patients.

C. Scheduling . Based upon the activities outlined in items 1.A. and 1.B. above, the Specialist schedules patients accordingly :

1) Urgent : attempts to schedule patients as soon as possible, weighing variables like assessed acuity, availability of service appointments at the Health Center or at other WHN Health Centers.

2) Routine : based upon the nature of the patient’s needs, the patient’s availability, and the availability of open times in providers’ schedules, makes appointments as soon as possible.

2. Other Clinical Support Duties (15%) :

A. Direct Patient Care : undertakes activities such as performing diagnostic and preventive procedures, (as directed by a WHN medical provider and according to WHN’s policies and procedures), that include, but are not limited to the following :

1) administers injections or medication as directed, or

2) draws lab specimens.

B. Provider Support : undertakes activities that assist medical providers in the delivery of primary care that include, but are not limited to, the following :

1) brings emergency lab test levels, or other critical diagnostic data to the provider’s attention;

2) answers providers messages regarding patient care and prescription refills;

3) makes patient call backs with physician’s or nurse practitioner’s orders;

4) contacts patients and pharmacies re : refills or new prescriptions, and

5) distributes provider mail and facsimile (FAX) messages.

C. Other Activities :

1) At the request of the Practice Manager, assists in the Nursing Area; and

2) At the request of the Charge Nurse, greets drug representatives and checks-in sample medications.

3. Other Duties / Responsibilities (10%) : Provides assistance to the Health Center’s front office that includes, but is not limited to, the following :

A. answers the Health Center’s phones and directs calls;

B. takes care of all facsimile (FAX) message received, scanning and attaching them to patients’ charts and forwarding them to medical providers;

C. assists with filing, as needed.

D. at the request of the Practice Manager, assists with the development or revision of protocols related to the triaging and scheduling.

E. at the request of the Practice Manager, collects, aggregates and displays data for Quality Assurance monitoring, reports, clinical plans, process improvement activities or other WHN efforts.

F. Miscellaneous :

Requirements :

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS :

A. Knowledge of the delivery of ambulatory medical care;

B. When applicable, maintaining a current license as a nurse (RN or LPN) in the State of Indiana as well as the expertise to function as a nurse; if trained as a Medical Assistant, maintaining any levels of training required by the State of Indiana.

C. Knowledge of the daily operations of a primary care, outpatient medical clinic;

D. Knowledge of and skill with the WHN's electronic medical record and practice management system;

E. Knowledge of and skill with the WHN's word processing systems;

F. Customer service and telephone skills;

G. Time management and project management skills - - the ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks quickly and efficiently;

H. The ability to plan and manage the utilization of resources; and

I. Knowledge of rules and regulations related to HIPAA and Corporate Compliance.

2. Education, Experience & Training :

A. Education . A qualified candidate will have completed training as a Medical Assistant (MA), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Registered Nurse, as well as be certified as a MA or have a current Indiana nursing license.

B. Experience . A qualified candidate will have

1) if a Medical Assistant, at least five (5) years of experience working as a MA or a nurse in an ambulatory or primary care outpatient clinic, having worked directly with a physician or mid- level practitioner in the delivery of medical services to patients; or

2. if the candidate holds an LPN or RN degree, the experience requirement is a minimum of three (3) years nursing experience working in an ambulatory or primary care outpatient clinic working directly with a physician or mid-level practitioner in direct patient service delivery.

C. Training . A qualified candidate will have :

1) certification in basic cardio-pulmonary resuscitation;

2) A qualified candidate must have a working knowledge of at least one word processing software package (preferably Microsoft Word) and of one spreadsheet development software package (preferably Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Access). A working knowledge of at least one electronic medical record (EMR) is preferred.

3. Equipment Used : Computer and standard office equipment.

4. Mental Demand : Position requires detailed work, handling confidential information, problem-solving, language, math and reasoning skills, verbal and written communication, customer contact, handling multiple concurrent tasks with frequent interruptions, good analytical skills and problem-solving abilities and good level of interpersonal skills.

5. Communications : Good written and verbal communication skills needed, plus the capability of effectively and appropriately handling confidential information. Good interpersonal skills required, along with the ability to communicate effectively with internal customers - - i.e., employees, managers, physicians and clinical providers, volunteers and visitors, as well as external customers - - other medical professionals, agency staff and the general public. Being able to communicate on a one-on-one basis using appropriate grammar, vocabulary and word usage is essential as well as providing timely and accurate information given in a courteous and respectful manner. Requires strong customer service skills, ability to promote teamwork, and build effective relationships.

6. Physical Effort : Standing, walking, bending, balancing, reaching, twisting, writing, sitting, talking, hearing, handling, fingering, and seeing.

[ Sedentary work : exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and / or negligible of force frequently. When providing direct patient care, performs very heavy work : exerts in excess of 100 pounds of force occasionally and / or excess of 50 pounds of force frequently.]

7. Working Conditions : Works in a clean, well-lit, indoor office with no notable exposure to fumes, dust, or extremes of heat or cold. Will have frequent exposure to people with various illnesses and diseases, including communicable diseases, toxic substances, medicinal preparation and other conditions common to a medical practice environment. [ Category II : Occasional exposure to blood / body fluids.]

8. Population Being Served by Position : Consumers and visitors of all ages, including infants, children, adolescents, young adults, older adults, geriatric.