Job Details

Position Summary:
***Either 7A-7P or 11A-11P***

The Triage RN is responsible for assisting Adult Hospitalist Triage and Admitting physicians by triaging calls for new admissions to the Hospitalist service. Serve as a liaison between the Hospitalists and ancillary staff regarding triaging patient issues in a timely and effective manner. Perform patient assessments and accumulate pertinent patient data for pending admissions by the supervising Hospitalists. Responsible for the delivery of nursing care using time and resources efficiently integrating a standards-based framework model.

Qualifications:
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Bachelors of Nursing w/in 3 years of start date in position.

CERTIFICATION & LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS
Registered Nurse (RN) Illinois and Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) within 6 months of hire.Attend and satisfactorily complete all required continuing education regarding the care of acute stroke and chest pain patients.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Three (3) years of nursing experience in acute patient setting such as Med/Surg, Adult Critical Care, or Emergency Department.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Attend and satisfactorily complete all required continuing education regarding the care of acute stroke and chest pain patients

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
Requires detailed knowledge of nursing practice and care delivery. The individual must be able to triage, diagnose and resolve problems effectively using Nursing knowledge and experience. Ability to make varied decisions usually confined to situations which are familiar. Ability to exercise choice in how work is accomplished with independence to operate within established policies, procedures and schedules, and using appropriate critical thinking skills to address issues that may occasionally present. Ability to actively walk through majority of shift as may be rounding on large portion of the hospital and ED environments. Assumes and maintains various postural positions including but not limited to: kneeling, reaching, stooping, bending, crouching and repositioning patients.

Essential Functions:

• Interacts with internal and external customers to facilitate appropriate placement of patients and optimize access to hospital resources.
• Initiates and assists with department and internal operational issues to optimize patient care.
• Assess patients: Those awaiting admission as to their current clinical status and to gather information such as outpatient medications, laboratory results and prior medical records in preparation for the physician assessment, and those who are already within the Hospitalist service, observation or inpatient status, who have a perceived change in status or acuity requiring further evaluation.
• Provides leadership through communication about and validation of patient care
• Works in close collaboration with Resource Nurses, Transfer Center/PAL RNs, Stat Nurses, and House Officers to ensure patient throughput and flow issues are addressed and minimized as appropriate.
• Facilitation of centralized patient acceptance and admission throughput from Carle Emergency Department and regional facilities.
• Working at the top of nursing scope, Triage RN acts as a resource to nursing staff for all patients who are currently under the Hospitalist Service.
• Flexibility in scheduling to allow for continued coverage and competency of Triage RN position.
• Utilizing critical thinking, the Triage RN collaborates with Triage MD, House Administrator, ED Charge Nurse, Carle Direct and Unit Nurse Leader for appropriate diagnosis related bed placement.