Rn Clinical - Triage

As an integral part of the interdisciplinary team, the Registered Nurse utilizes the nursing process to provide therapeutic care to patients.

The Triage Advice Nurse is a practicing registered nurse who provides virtual care to established patients via the telephone or computer utilizing the nursing process, input from physicians, and organizationally approved tele-nursing guidelines and protocols. Position functions include: e-prescription renewal, level-of-care triage, provision of illness, injury and self-care intervention, advice and consultation to patients, within a contact center environment. The role requires practitioners to identify, estimate, differentiate or rule out non-urgent/urgent, non-acute/acute, emergent, life-threatening symptoms in order to provide safe and timely disposition of symptoms presented by patients via a contact center environment. The Triage Advice Nurse will navigate and perform registration, scheduling and other tasks in electronic health record systems, web portal and call management system while interacting with patients and/or family members in a telephony- and web-based environment.

Essential Duties:

• Accurately confirms appointments and tests.
• Answers insurance-related questions accurately or refers to an appropriate resource.
•  Performs other duties as assigned.
• Consults with Access Center management and/or practice for patient complaints about medical care or services
• Electronic Prescription Renewal Program. Renews prescriptions using standard medical telephone protocols. Uses appropriate physician consultation to provide information to patients about prescribed medications and therapies
• Works collaboratively with clinicians developing new and/or reviewing existing triage protocols. Contributes to interdisciplinary quality review activities upon request.
• Effectively surveys and records in the patient medical record the patient’s chief complaint(s), level of urgency, potential of self-care intervention, type of follow-up needed and any demographic or anecdotal data necessary for highest-quality clinical decision-making.
• Decides same-day, walk-in or overbooking of patients into clinician scheduling templates based on based on direct telephone triage or clinician/clinic-provided protocols.
• Effectively interviews and assess patients with acute and/or chronic health problems, including physical, psychological, cognative problems as well as hospice matters Independently triages and/or advises patients based on perceived illness acuity to the appropriate level of care including the patient’s physician-of-record, appropriate clinic or the ER.
• Adheres to approved telephone protocols; confers with physician for any illness/injury needing additional telephone advise.
• Schedules clinic appointments or connects patients to local 911 services. May arrange for patient transportation on a limited basis.
• Effectively identifies and refers patients with complicated medical histories, health education needs, chronic health problems or treatment compliance to the patients’ physician-of-record.
• Receives, triages and provides advice to after-hours patient callers.

Required Qualifications:

• Req Bachelor's degree Nursing Degree in Nursing (BSN) *Grandfathered from BSN if hired prior to 12/2019
• Req Demonstrated high-level skills in problem solving, time management and prioritizing work where the nature of patient inquiries in the contact center environment is unpredictable.
• Req Demonstrated excellence in interpersonal, oral, verbal and written communications.
• Req 2 years 2 years practical nursing experience required
• Req Demonstrated knowledge and use of physical-, psycho-, social-assessment skills within the scope-of-practice defined by the Board of Registered Nursing and in compliance of state laws and medical nursing standards of care.
• Req Professional knowledge of clinical nursing protocols with specific emphasis of disease processes, emergencies, health sciences and pharmacology.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Pref Specialty Certification ER certification preferred
• Pref 2 years 2-5 years practical nursing experience preferred
• Pref Master's degree Nursing Degree in Nursing, or in progress, strongly preferred * Master’s Degree in Nursing may be in lieu-of Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
• Pref Specialty Certification Nurse triage certification preferred
• Pref ER experience preferred
• Pref Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Healthcare Provider from American Heart Association

Required Licenses/Certifications:

• Req Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider from American Heart Association
• Req Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) If no card upon hire, one must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained by renewal before expiration date. (Required within LA City only)
• Req Registered Nurse - RN (CA Board of Registered Nursing)

The hourly rate range for this position is $46.00 - $76.07. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.