Rozina Aziz This article explains the role and responsibilities of a triage nurse, including their annual salary and how to become a triage nurse?
What is a Triage Nurse?
A registered nurse who works as a triage nurse in a hospital’s emergency room. The practice of triage is used to evaluate patients who arrive at the emergency room and rank their level of medical urgency. They apply a set of criteria to achieve this, including the patient’s injury or sickness, severity, symptoms, and vital signs.
A triage nurse’s responsibilities extend beyond the initial patient assessment to include reevaluating waiting-room patients, initiating emergency care as necessary, and the guidance of patients to the appropriate treatment locations.
What are the duties of a triage nurse?
In your role as a triage nurse, you’ll need to be able to determine the relative needs of patients in a hurry and schedule their care accordingly. Depending on the location of the damage, patients are given a priority ranking of low, high, very high, and highest. Additional everyday duties will include:
- Recording pertinent medical history.
- Determining a patient’s drug use and allergy status.
- Taking a patient’s height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature.
- Bandaging and cleaning wounds.
- Drawing blood samples.
- Giving patients their prescriptions.
- Maintaining a stock of necessary medical supplies.
- Relocating patients to the appropriate area.
There will always be a need for triage nurses, especially as more people obtain access to healthcare. You will be a part of a fulfilling job by assisting injured or ill patients daily, despite the difficult work environment.
How does a triage nurse different from a registered nurse?
An RN with advanced training is known as a triage nurse. Unlike registered nurses, whose main focus is patient care, triage nurses are trained to assess patient needs.
RNs are responsible for the following tasks:
- Maintaining patient information records.
- Getting Patients Ready for Procedures and Treatments.
- Keeping an eye on patients.
- Medication Administration.
- Making arrangements for patient care.
- Collecting samples for laboratory analysis.
- Teaching patients and their families.
Triage Nurses are responsible for the following tasks:
- Evaluation and reevaluation of patients
- Prioritizing Patients Based on Urgency
- Treating medical emergencies as they arise
- Interacting with patients who are awaiting a doctor
- Educating patients and their loved ones
- Notifying medical professionals of patients’ conditions
- Leading patients to the appropriate treatment location
What are the skills of a triage nurse?
You may need to hone transferable abilities as you gain experience as a triage nurse, given the nature of the profession and the stress it might cause. The following are examples of essential knowledge and abilities for a triage nurse to have:
Ability to Express Oneself:
As rapidly as possible, triage nurses need to collect all relevant data. You may only have a little amount of time to ask patients the questions that will help guide their care, so you must be able to convey your queries and receive helpful responses effectively. The questions you ask on the phone act as a telephone triage system examination.
Interactive dialogue:
They must focus intently on every word uttered by patients and colleagues, carefully sift through the information provided, and ultimately use their powers of deduction to arrive at accurate conclusions. This must be done before a patient can be sent to the right facility for treatment. Because of the lack of opportunity for observation and tactile interaction inherent in telephone triage, active listening is particularly useful for nurses in this setting.
Evaluate and find solutions:
It is sometimes necessary to diagnose a patient without having all of the necessary information from them in order to determine how critical their condition is. It is your job as a triage nurse to determine which patients require immediate medical attention and how best to route them through the hospital. An important part of a telephone triage nurse’s job is determining whether or not a patient needs in-hospital treatment or if they can receive their care outside of the hospital.
Analysis and quick thinking:
The role of the triage nurse requires the use of theoretical and practical nursing knowledge. They are improving patients’ health through quick and logical thinking. The primary responsibility of a triage nurse is to assess a patient’s status promptly and accurately to determine whether or not they are in a stable condition. Amidst a flurry of activity, these superheroes of the medical world have the power to determine in a split second if urgent intervention is required for their patients.
Decision-making:
After thoroughly evaluating the patient, you will determine the best course of treatment. Those making these calls must do what is truly in the patient’s best interest. You may need to act swiftly in emergency treatment to stabilize the patient’s condition until additional medical care help arrives.
Where do triage nurses work?
Nurses with experience in triage work in various healthcare facilities, not just those that deal with emergencies. Medical care facilities that fall under this category include:
- Hospitals’ emergency rooms.
- Urgent care centers.
- Trauma centers.
- Doctors’ offices.
- Outpatient care centers.
- Poison control centers.
Nurses specializing in telephone triage often work from home for emergency call centers or other remote organizations. Due to the nature of their employment, nurses who specialize in triage and telephone triage often work overnights, weekends, and holidays.
How to become a triage nurse?
You must have completed some college to do well in this role. In addition, you need to have a wide variety of relevant soft skills. To become a triage nurse, you must complete the following steps:
Graduate from a nursing school:
In order to assume the vital role of a triage nurse, obtaining a license as a registered nurse (RN) is necessary. Choosing the most suitable option relies on your past education and available college commitment. The initial steps require possessing either GED or diploma for workforce entry.
An Associate in Nursing:
Embark on your nursing journey and select from the dynamic trio of degrees – the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN), the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (AAS), or the Associate of Arts and Science in Nursing (ADN) (AASN)!
A course cannot be completed in less than three years of schooling, though a two-year program is possible. To discover a good nursing program, you can ask about it at local community colleges and vocational schools or look for an online education provider.
Coursework for this entry-level credential helps students acquire the information and abilities necessary to provide basic patient care and nursing and a foundation in the biological sciences. In addition to studying arithmetic, the social sciences, and problem-solving, this degree may also study liberal arts.
Nursing undergraduate degree:
The Bachelor of Science degree in nursing is a four-year, full-time program that leads to a more advanced level of education than an Associate of Arts degree. Community nursing, psychology, pharmacology, emergency nursing, research methods, health assessment, nutrition, and specialized areas like pediatric nursing are all available to students.
To prepare future registered nurses (RNs), the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program follows the guidelines set out by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). It provides students with both academic and practical training.
Training for nurses:
An accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program can be completed in as little as 11 months if you already hold a Bachelor’s degree in another field. With a minimum 3.0 GPA and 54 transferable college credits earned within the preceding five years, admission to the ABSN is possible for those pursuing their first bachelor’s degree in nursing. Science disciplines and those directly related to healthcare are suitable.
Get your nursing license in-state:
If you’re an aspiring triage nurse, listen up! A valid license is a key to unlocking your dream career in any state. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) demands that all candidates pass the NCLEX-RN exam. Get ready to ace that test and start saving lives!
A computer-based multiple-choice exam with a six-hour time limit awaits. Here is your chance to prove that you possess the requisite expertise and knowledge to succeed in the demanding role of an RN. You should check with the medical board in your state to learn the specific requirements for obtaining a license. A valid license in every state calls for regular renewal and continuing education credits.
Look for nursing jobs:
You can start actively seeking employment in the nursing field after passing the NCLEX-RN and receiving your license. Typically, triage nurses have experienced registered nurses who have worked in multiple nursing specialties; however, some may begin working as triage nurse immediately. Nursing staffing companies, specialized periodicals, and the World Wide Web are all good places to start your job search.
Try to adapt your CV and cover letter for each position you apply for. Doing so will make you more noticeable and boost your chances of an interview. Remember to list your relevant credentials and professional experience in the therapeutic setting and provide evidence of your abilities through measurable outcomes.
Get certifications:
Although there isn’t a credential specifically for triage nurses, you can get any number of different types of nursing credentials. Most triage nurses are employed in emergency care settings. Thus earning a certificate from the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing is a good idea (AACN).
Your expertise in an emergency is evident here. To work in ambulatory care, you normally require at least 2,000 hours of clinical experience to demonstrate your relevant knowledge and abilities.
Is online triage nursing possible?
Training as a triage nurse can be completed online, while certification exams must be taken in person. You may study to become a triage nurse online and then work as a nurse without ever leaving your house. Some triage nurses conduct phone evaluations as part of their duties. Everything can be done remotely except for the actual tests.
How much does a Triage Nurse make?
A triage nurse can expect to earn a median average salary of $73,707. Most of the time, this position is full-time. A triage nurse’s compensation can vary greatly depending on factors including their level of experience, level of education, employer, and area in which they live.
FAQ’s
Who is capable of performing triage?
A registered nurse or nurse practitioner with at least a year of emergency nursing experience and the necessary additional credentials and education, which may include certification in emergency nursing and continuing education in trauma and pediatrics, is qualified to perform the critical assessment process known as triage.
Why do hospitals use triage?
The French word “trier,” meaning “to sort” or “to organize,” is where the term “triage” comes from. Triage is a method used in the medical field to prioritize the care and monitoring of many patients based on the severity of their injuries.
Does triage only apply to the medical field?
The term “triage” is most commonly associated with emergency medical situations, such as those involving the treatment of victims of natural disasters, the treatment of soldiers wounded in battle, the treatment of victims of a large-scale public accident, and the treatment of patients in a hospital’s emergency room.
What is the difference between the emergency room and triage?
A primary ER nurse’s skillset must include assisting patients and coping with their families and inquiries. A triage nurse is at the forefront of emergency care and must be able to identify patients’ needs promptly and accurately.
Can triage be found in modern medicine?
Millions of patients today are helped by triage systems in emergency rooms. Yet, researching the development of triage is more complicated than you might think.
