Triage job Kaiser

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Hi All, I have a job offer from Kaiser Triage nursing in a Cardiology office. Also, another job offer at a PCU-step down unit. My nursing background is in cardiology. I am jobless these days. My question is how does Kaiser train their nurses for telephone advice nursing? I have only three years of cardiology experience. I do not know if they would provide me with a software to advice patients or it will be from my own knowledge. Also, what are some cons of telephone triage for a nurse going from a cardiology floor nursing?

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Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

Kaiser has three call centers that handle all of their telephone triage and advice nursing.

Their orientation training period is 6-8weeks long.

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Hi there, thank you for your response. Do you know if I will be using a software to guide my advice or will it depend solely on my knowledge? Is there anything I can do to prepare myself for this job? I don't know what I am getting myself into.

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Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

Kaiser compiles the latest EBP into an algorithm that the RN uses, along with the nursing process and a heavy dose of critical thinking to work through the patient phone assessment in order to arrive at the safest outcome.

Even with all of the safe guards built in, if an RN doesn't explore the right symptoms, or has a lapse in "active listening skills", the algorithm will fail.

You utilize a combination of both to guide your advice.

You are forbidden from giving advice that is not listed within the established parameters. You cannot "go maverick" with a personal tried-and-true method of addressing an ill. You must only utilize the established evidence based practice methods. (i.e. honey for a continual cough, versus standing on one leg and holding your head back while jumping up and down).

There is precious little room for creativity, and it gets old, very quickly, taking call after call after call, while regurgitating a rote fix for someone's ills.

.....and then, there's the special little snowflakes (I don't want to go there....)

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