OVERVIEW
What is a Telephone Triage Nurse?
A telephone triage nurse will leverage live video conferencing technology in multiple ways to connect with the same clients via a new communication method. Rather than asking individuals to drive to medical offices, sit in waiting rooms, and fill out paperwork, telephone nurse allows for remote connections on a patient’s schedule.
Telephone triage nurses can also prerecord educational resources for their patients and can forward that recorded video messaging on to as many patients as necessary. In this way, nurses are responsible not only for providing primary care, but for contributing to digital libraries full of useful resources for patients to use at their discretion.
Unlike the career of a typical triage nurse, a telephone triage nurse does not work in an emergency room. Rather, they often serve as a gateway, assessing basic patient needs before their in-person visit with a triage nurse begins.
Where a triage nurse might be responsible for organizing emergency room procedures, a telephone triage nurse deals primarily with remote patient care, referring them to the right room or department for in-person treatment when appropriate.
RESPONSIBILITIES
What Does a Telephone Triage Nurse Do?
A telephone triage nurse will fulfill a wide range of daily responsibilities, all of them through remote means. These individual responsibilities can include:
- Live video teleconferencing, where nurses spend a majority of their time communicating directly with clients remotely.
- Patient assessments, maintaining primary responsibility for basic patient intake before in-person triage staff provides treatment.
- Recording video, for the creation and distribution of recorded educational materials to patients.
- Patient management, the remote monitoring of patients to ensure that vitals remain steady and that immediate patient needs are met.
- Mobile application management, the upkeep of mobile outreach applications that connect patients with medical resources and live help through hospitals and healthcare providers.
EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES
How Do I Become a Telephone Triage Nurse?
To become a telephone triage nurse, candidates must first complete a nursing prelicensure program or obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Once a student becomes a registered nurse (RN), they will possess the necessary understanding of medical codes, healthcare services, and the practices that make for a successful telephone triage nurse.
Additionally, a telephone triage nurse may be able to move forward in their career with an MSN degree focused on leadership and management. This degree program will give students additional experience in running a team and can help them be qualified to progress further in management roles in telephone triage. A post-master's certificate in nursing leadership & management can expand on that experience.
Required Experience
In addition to the required education, telephone triage nurses must also register at least 2,000 total hours of nursing experience in clinicals. Clinicals offer hands-on training as a facet of nursing school, allowing students to achieve a nursing experience in a safe environment. Completing your 2,000 hours of in-field nursing training is a major step toward achieving a career as a telephone triage nurse.
Best Degrees for a Telephone Triage Nurses
Health & Nursing
Nursing (Prelicensure) – B.S.
A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a...
A one-of-a-kind nursing program that prepares you to be an RN and a baccalaureate-prepared nurse:
- Locations: Due to in-person clinical requirements, students must be full time residents of Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin to enroll in this program. The coursework in this program is offered online, but there are in-person requirements.
- Tuition: $8,755 per 6-month term for the first 4 terms of pre-nursing coursework and $8,755 per 6-month term for the remaining 4 terms of clinical nursing coursework.
- Time: This program has a set pace and an expected completion time of 4 years. Certain coursework may be accelerated to finish faster.
- WGU offers the prelicensure program in areas where we have partnerships with healthcare employers to provide practice sites and clinical coaches to help teach you and inspire you on your path to becoming a nurse.
- If you don't live in one of our prelicensure states or don't qualify to apply, consider getting our Bachelor's in Health and Human Services instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry, while also working directly with patients who need help.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Community Health
- Women's and Children's Nursing
- Pathology
- Physiology
- Research
Health & Nursing
Nursing (RN-to-BSN Online) – B.S.
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added...
An online BSN degree program for registered nurses (RNs) seeking the added theoretical depth, employability, and respect that a bachelor's degree brings:
- Time: The program is designed to be completed in 1 year.
- Tuition: $5,325 per 6-month term.
- Courses: 23 total courses in this program.
- Transfers: Students can transfer up to 90 credits.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Healthcare Policy and Economics
- Information Technology in Nursing Practice
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Applied Healthcare Statistics
If you don't currently have an RN and don't qualify for your nursing prelicensure program, consider getting our Bachelor's in Health and Human Services instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry in a unique way.
Health & Nursing
Nursing – Leadership & Management (RN-to-MSN) – M.S.
This program for RNs includes a BSN component and is a substantial leap...
This program for RNs includes a BSN component and is a substantial leap toward becoming a nurse leader.
- Time: 62% of RN-to-MSN grads finish within 37 months.
- Tuition: $5,325 per 6-month term during undergraduate portion and $5,035 per 6-month term during graduate portion.
- Courses: 32 total courses in this program.
Skills for your résumé you will learn in this program:
- Quality Outcomes in a Culture of Value-Based Nursing Care
- Nursing Leadership and Management
- Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations
- Informatics for Transforming Nursing Care
If you're driven to lead, this online nursing degree will provide you everything needed to make that career a reality. This program is ideal for current RNs who are interested in earning both their BSn and MSN in an accelerated program.
Compare degrees
This program is not the only degree WGU offers designed to create leaders in the field of healthcare. Compare our health leadership degrees.
Health & Nursing
Nursing – Leadership & Management (BSN-to-MSN) – M.S.
For registered nurses with a bachelor's degree who are ready for...
For registered nurses with a bachelor's degree who are ready for additional career opportunities.
- Time: 61% of grads finish within 23 months
- Tuition: $5,035 per 6-month term
- Courses: 15 total courses in this program
This program is ideal for current RNs who have a BSN and are ready for the next step in their education.
Skills for your résumé you will learn in this program:
- Quality Outcomes in a Culture of Value-Based Nursing Care
- Nursing Leadership and Management
- Advanced Pathopharmacological Foundations
- Informatics for Transforming Nursing Care
Compare degrees
This program is not the only degree WGU offers designed to create leaders in the field of healthcare. Compare our health leadership degrees.
Health & Nursing
Nursing Leadership and Management – Post-Master's Certificate
A certificate for registered nurses with a master's degree in nursing who...
A certificate for registered nurses with a master's degree in nursing who are ready for greater responsibility in a leadership and management role.
- Time: Students typically finish this program in 12 months.
- Tuition: $5,035 per 6-month term. The cost to sit for the NAHQ Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) exam is included in tuition.
- Courses: 8 total courses in this program.
Skills for your résumé that you will learn in this program:
- Strategic Planning
- Resource Management
- Business Case Analysis
- Evaluating Healthcare Improvements
How Much Does a Telephone Triage Nurse Make?
$81,105
The exact compensation of a telephone triage nurse will understandably vary, depending on factors that include employer, employer location, years of experience, and education. On average, the salary of a telephone triage nurse is $81,105.
What Is the Projected Job Growth?
6%
A sharp increase in the number of patients using teletherapy services likely means a parallel growth in telephone triage nurse careers. The BLS anticipates a 6% growth between the 2022 to 2032 period alone. While specific data for a telephone triage nurse is absent from the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), the statistics for registered nurses are very healthy.
SKILLS
What Skills Does a Telephone Triage Nurse Need?
Telephone triage nurses regularly put to use a wide skill set to help individually address a patient’s needs. These skills can include:
- Interpersonal communication: the ability to listen to each patient’s individual needs and expertly pair their symptoms with appropriate levels of care.
- Empathetic listening: the ability to communicate authentic care for a patient’s situation.
- Integrated teamwork: the ability to work well alongside on-site doctors, nurses, and all healthcare staff to ensure that all patients are appropriately cared for.
- Fast assessment: the ability to assess a patient’s needs and pass along all necessary details to on-site medical staff.
- Patient evaluation: the ability to help patients identify the correct course for future action, options that include in-person medical treatment, medication management, and at-home care.
- Technology proficiency: the ability to understand and expertly use all video conferencing platforms and digital patient assessment tools.
These skills and others make telephone triage nurses successful in connecting patients with the care they need. Despite their remote setting, telephone triage nurses are often pivotal to the on-site operations of a medical facility.
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