What exactly is telephone triage?

Specialties Triage

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What exactly is telephone triage?

In the ER where I work, we can not legally give out medical advice or information over the phone (answering questions, etc.) How does telephone triage get past this? Thanks in advance!!

CrazyPremed

I work Telephone Triage for a large university health system ,we have a medical director and approved computerized protocols with the abilty to keep records of callers.We are recorded so we can have proof fwhat we have told the pt and the recordings have even been used for court cases,usually for child abuse cases. We can also make appointments in our system for our pt or pt that are able to come to us through their insurance, private pay and medicare/ medicaid. Our only real problem is out side ERs (out of county ,out of system,out of state even out of country callers) taking up our time and over loading out call center. We recently got the OK to ask if they are part of our system , the insurance co we take call for or with the Center for Health Care services,if they are not we can tell them to call their Dr ,or go to the nearest ER if they are ill. I have been a nurse for 35 years I have worked ER, NICU, Home Health,physical rehab. Nurses have to have expirence it is not the job for new nurses,ya gotta be seasoned. I love my job, I can impact a lot of lives in a day I can educate and direct for care . I have had pts call to say I saved their lives. I even get a good laugh a times.

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Specializes in ER, Outpatient PACU and School Nursing.

do you like working for intellicare? I recently submitted a application and was called regarding working PT from home. I have a seperate office to work but wondering about the schedule- can you vary it or is it set every week. It would be supplemental for me since the pay isnt what I normally get per hour and I still would keep up my perdiem work..

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Specializes in Telephone triage, hospice, LTC, CCU, ,.
do you like working for intellicare? I recently submitted a application and was called regarding working PT from home. I have a seperate office to work but wondering about the schedule- can you vary it or is it set every week. It would be supplemental for me since the pay isnt what I normally get per hour and I still would keep up my perdiem work..

For the most part I like intellicare. Some pepole really suffer with the isolation aspect of working alone, which I don't find to be too much a problem. Because we don't really know what is going on with co-workers I sometimes feel picked on, and like I'm always in trouble. but honestly there is not another job I would want to do at this time in my life.

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Specializes in ER, Outpatient PACU and School Nursing.

thank you. I decided against it after the telephone interview. Im perdiem in two other places and cannot give them 4 days a week of availabilty. I'd had hoped for two nights a week to work after the kids went to bed. I cannot do it since the money isnt near what I make per hour for my perdiem work. sounds like a good job if you have the time at home to give..

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Telephone triage, I found, to be an invaluable service when I was pregnant. They were great at helping me make a decision if I needed to be seen immediately, or if something could wait until the next morning.

They helped again when my twins were newborns. I can't say enough of how much I LOVE telephone triage.

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Specializes in Telephone triage, hospice, LTC, CCU, ,.
Telephone triage, I found, to be an invaluable service when I was pregnant. They were great at helping me make a decision if I needed to be seen immediately, or if something could wait until the next morning.

They helped again when my twins were newborns. I can't say enough of how much I LOVE telephone triage.

Thank You

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I LOVE the idea of being locked away in isolation and not having to deal directly with people.

But I'm sure it has its own stressors, I don't know if I could deal with talking on the phone constantly, I hate telephones.

I also have heard some complaints about the pay...can someone give us an idea what the pay is like?

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Specializes in Telephone triage, hospice, LTC, CCU, ,.
I LOVE the idea of being locked away in isolation and not having to deal directly with people.

But I'm sure it has its own stressors, I don't know if I could deal with talking on the phone constantly, I hate telephones.

I also have heard some complaints about the pay...can someone give us an idea what the pay is like?

Obviously I can only speak from my own experience. Telephone triage does typically pay less then bedside nursing (about 20% less), but I've found it pays more then office nursing (also about 20%). So if you're used to the big bucks in the ICU or some other high tech speciality area, and the money is a major issue, TT probably isn't for you. But if you're like me and sometimes shouldn't be around people :angryfire it might be just the ticket.

BTW we were notified by NCC recently that after then end of the year, they will no longer offer the Telephone Triage Certification Exam.:o

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Hello everyone! I know this is stupid of me, but what is NCC and what does this mean that "they" no longer will offer the TT exam?

I am a pre-nursing student. I begin the ADN program Fall of '09. I'm not very good with all the lingo and abbreviations yet.

Thanks!

Crystal:redpinkhe

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Specializes in Telephone triage, hospice, LTC, CCU, ,.

It's never stupid to ask what you don't know, and someday it could save a patients life. :specs: NCC is The Nation Certification Corporation. They offer certification exams in various nursing specialties, but no longer have one for telephone triage nursing. the website is http://www.nccnet.org

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Specializes in ER, Psych, Telephone Triage.

Telephone traige is a sytem by which a pt. can call and contact a Telephone Triage RN who will acess level of problem, determine acuity, determine dispoisition -911, ED via POV, ICS, UC, Home tx, F/'U tommorow. Triage Nurse will also give instructions such s for croup in absence of fever 15-20 minutes steam in BR, sittin gin front of open fridge 15-20 minutes or letting the pt. suck on a popsickel. Instructions may be to take Nitro or ASA or Tylenol. Quite often after triaging a Post op pt. we do a quick phone consultation with a surgeon and follow his orders based on what we relate to him.

All of our assesment questions/protocols are specific to individual problems such as Chest pain protocol or Pregnancy

We always tell the pt. "As a Nurse I don't diagnose but based upon your symptoms my reccomendation is..............

We also determine where to send pt. if he needs to be seen. We have to check what hospital system/insurance he hs, his location, time frames to get to facility, check if facility is still open etc, At times we are requitred to verify insuarnce coverage. This wastes 2-3 minutes of time.

The main goal of our service is to get the pt. to the "CORRECT" level of care that he needs. Why run into the ED and be there 5-10 hrs or more for a sprained ankle when you can be seen at UC quicker and cheaper or perhaps not ecven require getting seen tonight and perhaps gget seen in am.

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