Triage Nurse - CCP

at  UPMC Pittsburgh Medical Center

Are you passionate about helping kids be their best selves?
Join our team of Life Changers!
UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics is hiring a Flex Full-Time Triage Nurse to support the office remotely.
Evening and weekend availability required to support the hours of operation
Prior pediatric office experience strongly preferred.
Excellent benefits, a pleasant work environment, and friendly team are just a few of our perks. Apply today!

PURPOSE:

Provide on-call services to physicians and insurance companies by conducting patient and family assessments in accordance with protocol, researching clinical situations in order to educate the caller on the seriousness of the condition, and directing patient care in a defined period of time to be delivered at the patient’s home or in another appropriate clinical setting. Support the information needs of practitioners who will be responsible for determining additional follow-up care after triage.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assess the caller’s needs; determines the seriousness and extent of the patient’s conditions, concerns and current or progressive patient status.
• Notify the designated after hours site with pertinent information should the patient be directed to such a site.
• Respond to calls from patients/family members in a professional and timely manner.
• Direct care and triage in accordance with established protocols to support the primary provider’s practice, which allows for ultimate clinical decision-making by the nurse.
• Assist Telephone Triage Nurse Manager with methods to track department use rates, to determine user satisfaction of the Telephone Triage/Advice Program and to design and implement program enhancements.
• Generate and send follow-up reports and other correspondence to the recommended triage site, and to any identified primary care gatekeeper, insurer or other appropriate physician.
• Notify the patient’s Primary Care Physician, reviews telephone assessment and obtains follow-up orders.
• Ensure patient safety by working collaboratively in addressing calls directed from physician practices and insurance companies, to triage patients appropriately to ensure safe, quality patient care in the most cost-appropriate setting, and to ensure notification to the covered physician/practice/insurer by supplying timely documentation on the patient’s disposition.
• Assess the actual caller to determine the caller’s understanding of the seriousness and extent of the patient’s current condition and the caller’s ability to carry out all instructions by the pediatric triage and advice staff.
• Consult program medical director for consultation regarding arising clinical concerns.
• Work cooperatively with the Telephone Triage Nurse Manager, shift charge nurse and all department members to operate and enhance an effective market responsive Telephone Triage/Advice Program.
• Serve as a community resource for other clinical consultation and appropriate triage and advice.
• Graduate from an accredited School of Nursing.
• 1 year of experience in triage nursing, preferably in an emergency department or physician practice or other medical call center preferred.
• Previous triage experience preferred.
• Ability to provide clinical advice. Highly developed analytical skills necessary to assess the clinical care needs of patients, to assist with research and disseminate advice to minimize health risks to patients, and to assist with evaluation of the adequacy and success of patient telephone traige/advice practices.
• Advanced interpersonal skills necessary to query callers in a constructive way, to interact sensitively with sick and concerned patients and caregivers, and to collaborate with members of the medical community.
• Ability to prioritize and perform effectively under the stress of emergency situations.Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
• At time of hire, must have one RN licensure in PA, WV, NY, MD or OH and must be able to obtain other 4 state licensures during the orientation period.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Act 33 with renewal
• Act 34 with renewal
• Act 73 FBI Clearance with renewal
• Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or, if the facility is in a state covered by the multistate Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) agreement, a multistate license issued by a participating NLC state. Hires and current employees working on an out-of-state NLC license who later change their residency to the state where the facility is also located will have 60 days upon changing their residency to apply for licensure within that state.