Lifespark Medical Group: Triage Nurse (RN)

Position Summary

The Triage Nurse is primarily responsible for gathering clinical information over the phone and directing healthcare services. The Triage Nurse uses Lifespark’s clinical guidelines as well as internal processes and/or procedures to meet the needs of Lifespark Medical Group members and Lifespark Senior Living residents. The Triage Nurse must possess and use good clinical judgement, careful listening, critical thinking, and escalate to appropriate personnel as needed.

Schedule:
Week 1: Wednesday–Friday (8-hour shifts) and Saturday (7-hour shift)
Week 2: Sunday (7-hour shift) and Wednesday–Thursday (8-hour shifts)
Shifts typically start between 8:30 AM and 9:00 AM

Position Functions and Responsibilities

• Gather pertinent clinical information problem based on conversation with community caregiver
• Uses clinical judgment, knowledge and experience to direct conversation and guide decision-making to give self-care advice, refer resident to provider, make an appointment, instruct resident contact emergency assistance, or dispatch appropriate community resource.
• Provides member/resident care as defined in the State Nurse Practice Act.
• Caregiver in meeting nursing and related needs.
• Provides health care instructions as appropriate per assessment and plan of care.
• Provides education when appropriate.
• Reassures the rapid and effective transmission of resident data between all relevant parties.
• Promotes evidence-based practice.
• Establishes and maintains strong collaborative arrangements with other health care professionals.
• Participates in admission avoidance activities dispatching community resources as needed to prevent rehospitalizations.
• Complete onboarding, orientation and annual mandatory training.
• Ensure positive/professional communication on team.
• Customer service resolution; escalate concerns.
• Prepares clinical notes and updates primary provider when necessary.
• Communicates with provider regarding the resident needs and reports any changes in the resident condition; obtains/receives orders as required.
• Communicates with community health related persons to coordinate the care plan.
• Extremely skilled at listening and interpreting subtle indications such as tone of voice, hesitations or incomplete responses.
• Inspires others and encourage them to seek advice and solutions to problems.
• Challenges others to take an active part in developing knowledge, ideas and work practice.
• Challenges tradition and accepts joint responsibility for any arising problems and tensions and uses these to inform future practice.
• Makes effective use of appropriate learning opportunities for themselves and others and applies learning to practice.
• Honors Resident Confidentiality, Rights, Privacy, and Reporting Maltreatment Expectations.
• Understands and Accepts Residents’ Diagnosis.
• Understands and accepts emotional needs of resident.
• Accepts unique resident symptoms and behaviors.
• Understanding of Confidentiality & Data Protection Act.
• Adheres to Emergency Procedure and Response Expectations.
• Identifies safety issues and notifies appropriate community resource.
• Demonstrates, and can educate on proper procedures: handling, lifting, transfers.
• Escalates employee work injury per protocol.
• Overview of Process, Types of Reports and Forms
• Follow-up Required – Escalating Event
• Can manage safety concerns for residents and clinicians, escalating when appropriate

Qualifications

Education

• Degree in Nursing from an accredited program.
• Must be a Registered Nurse
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Current licensure to practice discipline in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, or willingness to obtain upon hire.

Experience

• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in Senior Living and/or home and community based senior services.
• Minimum of 1-2 years of triage experience
• Experience teaching, training clinical staff.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Participates in on-call program rotation, as needed
• Participates in weekend coverage rotation, as needed
• Strong phone skills

• Aging process and related care issues
• Advanced care planning
• Person-centered care planning
• Caregiver education
• Community resources
• Creativity and ability to solve problems
• Ability to create trusted relationships with community team members
• Proficient with technology and relevant applications: Microsoft Office, Smart Phone, Calendaring, Clinical Software platforms (EMR), Wi-Fi, Printers, and Internet Browsing
• Strong written and oral communication skills

Key Competencies

• Teams:  skilled at collaboration, works effectively as part of a care team
• Customer-focus:  demonstrates empathy, a desire to serve, and reliability
• Influencing:  confident and comfortable promoting proactive solutions
• Personal resiliency: emotional/intellectual flexibility, ability to remain calm, stay focused and maintain objectivity in stressful situations
• Self-directed:  demonstrates initiative and works independently 
• Productivity: skills in prioritization, planning, organizing and time management
• Assessment and Care Planning skills
• Organization and Detail Orientation
• Implementation, Follow-through, and Accountability
• Communication:  Oral and Written

Physical Demands

The following physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Employee is occasionally required (1-33% of the time) to walk, sit, kneel, reach, twist, crawl, stoop, crouch, climb and balance
• The employee is occasionally (1-33% of the time) required to squat, bend, stand, and taste or smell
• While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly (67-100% of the time) required to use hands and fingers to handle and feel; reach with hands and arms; talk; and hear
• The employee must regularly (67-100% of the time) lift, move and /or carry up to 10 pounds, and occasionally (1-33% of the time) lift, move and /or carry more than 10 pounds
• The employee regularly (67-100% of the time) push and/or pull up to 10 pounds and occasionally (1-33% of the time) push and/or pull more than 10 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include distance vision, color vision and ability to adjust focus
• Able to drive a car and/or be provided with reliable transportation

Work Environment

• Willingness to work beyond scheduled shift if necessary to fulfill resident/business need.
• Ability to make independent decisions when situations warrant such action.
• Office work is performed in a professional business office environment, well lighted, clean, and hazard-free.
• Office equipment is kept in good operating condition to enable work to be done efficiently.
• Residence in Minnesota or Wisconsin preferred
• Office work is performed in a professional business office environment, well lighted, clean, and hazard-free.
• This position is designated to be a primarily remote position.
• This position includes overnight hours and the person on shift must be awake during the shift
• Office equipment is kept in good operating condition to enable work to be done efficiently.
• Travel to/within the Twin Cities metropolitan areas/Wisconsin, as needed.
• Occasional travel for expansion and growth opportunities.
• Subject to frequent interruptions during work.

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