Actual job requirements of teletriage

MargRN, BSN · Apr 5, 2018

Yep. Dealing with humans can be a drag when they're rude or thankless. I just focus on the positive thankful people we help.

Do you work at a clinic or from home, thetank RN?

thetank · Apr 5, 2018

So true. Focusing on the positive is the name of the game.

I work at a large clinic for a family medicine / internal medicine / pediatrics group with 15 providers. There are four of us who work as triage RNs.

DorothyMay · Apr 5, 2018

Hi there,
Well, I like it when I actually get to do triage calls. I do not like it when people call us for directions to the office, to schedule office visits, to get narcotics refills, etc. I like the fast pace, I like the challenge of a difficult triage call. Even after doing this for 3.5 years, I still miss face to face contact with patients...but I do NOT miss the craziness of floor nursing. I will never ever return to floor nursing - too much stress, terrible ratios, crazy management. I work 8 AM to 5 PM M-F, and Sat 8-noon every 6-8 weeks or so. Mondays and Fridays are our heavy days, Tues Wed Thurs are a little lighter. You have to have a thick skin because patients can be really rude...but most patients are super nice.

I transfer all calls to schedule appointments and calls for directions to the clerks.

I SOO AGREE that one must have a thick skin because patients can be REALLY rude on the phone. However, our unit policy is NO tolerance! Therefore I give the caller one warning and if they continue I hang up. I do not tolerate belittling, profanity, yelling etc. If they can't be nice then I have no time to talk to them. There are too many nice callers to put up with that!

carrielwb · Apr 28, 2018

Hi. I've been in telenursing for 12 years in Canada. Do you have autonomy over your educational resources ? We do but I find it difficult to find the best source of information regarding post operative info except for the basics? Any tips thank you.

ILoveHorsesRN, ADN · May 1, 2018

I've never done tele triage, but I did look into it. I applied to some tele triage jobs and this is what I found (someone with experience can correct me):
1) Hours depend on where/who you work for. Most, it seems, are for 8 hour shifts. I did see one that was 6-8 hour shifts, depending on how you are scheduled.
2) I've seen Mon-Fri "8-5" positions and positions where the call system runs 24/7; therefore, you might work days, eve, or night shift.
3) I've seen jobs where you work in a call center office and ones where you work from home.
4) It seems you use a "scripting system" that tells you what to say and ask. I'm not even sure where a candidates "experience" comes into play because, from what I hear, you are not allowed to go "off script." Again, maybe someone with experience can clarify this.
I hope that helps. The biggest complaint I see from people is "back to back" calls and feeling micromanaged. Back to back calls would not bother me...because I go to work to work. Being "micromanaged" seems to be they expect their employees to work and to ensure that you are working, they "listen in," look at your screen productivity, and expect you to take a certain amount of calls. Again, wouldn't bother me...because I would be working. There are a lot of people that view "work at home" to mean that they don't have to work, can take care of their kids, and do housework...while "working." The companies, I believe, decided to combat this mentality by "listening in" to calls, watching what you are doing on the computer (not shopping Amazon), and giving you a quota of calls to meet. Sounds fair to me...since they offer the opportunity to work from home!

have you worked in teletriage yet? If not, you cannot say back to back calls wouldn't bother you unless you have actually done it. Try taking 40 calls in 8 hours. For each one, your brain has to re-set itself and start again. It can be very stressful and we are monitored very closely 24/7. We get a report card every month and we get marked down for very minor things. There's always an underlying fear of failure.

thetank · May 1, 2018

So true. Very very stressful.

ILoveHorsesRN, ADN · May 1, 2018

So true. Very very stressful.

Are you being sarcastic? Not sure.

nurseprincesss · May 3, 2018

Is there anyway to message you? I have some questions about Telephone triage, and have found nobody to talk to

ILoveHorsesRN, ADN · May 3, 2018

Is there anyway to message you? I have some questions about Telephone triage, and have found nobody to talk to

Yes! Go ahead and PM me. I can answer your questions.

TriageTJ · May 4, 2018

I am a Lead RN on the PM shift of a 24/7 Telephone Triage Nurse Center for a large local healthcare organization. Our requirement for consideration is at least 10 years of RN experience to even be considered for an position. We employee 35 RN for 8 hours shifts in a contact center- no home triage at this point.

The best part of this position is the variety of calls. This position has been the most challenging of my career. I enjoy the autonomy of the position but have excellent nurses all around me to help when needed.

Part of my position as Lead is QA which is also vital to ensuring the Nursing Standard of Care and Nursing Scope of Practice is maintained with each interaction. This is done through call monitoring. Each month at least 2 random calls are evaluated and reviewed with each nurse. Our nurses, myself included, welcome these reviews. 99% of the time they are positive and reinforces the quality that we strive for here. The other 1% is looked at as a self reflection tool to work on for future calls. There is no "fear" associated with these reviews as our organization strives for positive patient outcomes not call times and chart times. Our average call time is 7 minutes.

It is a stressful environment with chest pain, suicide, allergic reactions, lethargic baby, etc. calls on a daily basis. You must be a confident nurse with excellent assessment skills and experience. But the rewards are amazing!

BassCatchingNurse · May 5, 2018

have you worked in teletriage yet? If not, you cannot say back to back calls wouldn't bother you unless you have actually done it. Try taking 40 calls in 8 hours. For each one, your brain has to re-set itself and start again. It can be very stressful and we are monitored very closely 24/7. We get a report card every month and we get marked down for very minor things. There's always an underlying fear of failure.

I have not worked as a teletriage nurse. As stated, I am not a teletriage nurse. I was trying to help a fellow nurse with what information that I have gathered. I stated, an experience nurse, such as yourself could correct me on that information. Of course, no one can correct me on whether or not "back to back" calls would bother me. I like being busy! I also work in a very busy ER, doing back to back triages, for 12 hours at a time for over 10 years. Most nurses prefer to only be in triage 4 hours and then move to another area of the ER. However, I do not mind. Yes, I am sure back to back calls can be frustrating while trying to chart. I am sure that back to back calls without a lunch break is frustrating. These problems exist in ER triage, too. I also am sure that there are aspects of the job that I do not even know about...some I would like/some I would hate. Fair? I'm not sure that I am even aware of a non-stressful nursing position. It comes with a profession where people's lives are in your hands and many times we are short staffed..which increases the work load.

Emmasmom03 · May 8, 2018

My job truly is just triaging. I don't have to answer questions about directions to the office and I do not make the appointments myself. We have coordinators who do that part of the job. I just answer the triage questions. And yes we do have some scripting, but not everything. There are times when you have to be creative as people call in for something that there is no real script for. My job is slightly different though as I work for a contract with Tricare and not with a doctor's office.