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What is a triage nurse?

Updated: 9/16/2023
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Whether in a war zone, a major city hospital, or a small-town urgent care, triage nurses perform the same basic duties. They assess the patient's vital signs and needs, and assigns to that patient a determination of "level of care". In a war-zone or E.R., this means determining which patients have a higher priority than another patient. An obvious example would be a wound that pumps arterial blood is more urgent than a sprained ankle. A less obvious example would be recognizing that a drowsy patient with changes in vital signs after a seemingly minor fall could have a head injury, versus someone who cut a foot on glass and the wound has stopped bleeding.

Triage nurses can deliver nursing care, if short-staffed. But typically during the shift that the nurse works in triage, he or she would only do assessments, prioritizing patients, and routing patients in order of need and level of care. In a war zone this means knowing that a patient with a closed head injury or open compound fracture likely will need surgery; or knowing which patients need immediate infusions of fluid or blood, versus those less critical or less in need of primary support (medical-nursing actions that support life).

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What is another name for a military nurse?

triage nurse


What is a triage nurse trained to do?

A triage nurse is trained to sort injured people into groups based on their need for immediate medical treatment. They are trained to sort these people very quickly in times of emergencies.


Telephone Triage Nurse?

Telephone Triage is a rapidly developing career opportunity within the field of nursing. Telephone triage nurses perform many of the tasks of a typical triage nurse, except that they have the extra challenge of performing their job without being able to see the patient. Most people are familiar with calling a physician’s office and seeking the advice of a nurse over the phone. Telephone triage incorporates these same principles, but it takes the duty a bit further. In telephone triage, the nurse is responsible for assessing the patient’s health. In order to do this without seeing the patient, the nurse must listen carefully, ask specific questions, and be attuned to other clues such as the patient’s tone of voice or hesitations. The telephone triage nurse must possess excellent communication skills. After assessing the patient’s condition over the phone, the telephone triage nurse is responsible for advising the patient on the next step in a care protocol. The nurse might be able to recommend that the patient seek an over-the-counter remedy to use at home. On the other hand, the nurse might recommend that the patient seek further treatment via an office visit or even an immediate trip to the emergency room. The field of telephone triage is quickly growing. Due to the problem of overcrowded emergency rooms and staff shortages, telephone triage nurses are being called upon to sort true emergencies from minor health ailments. In addition, insurance companies have a vested interest in telephone triage. It saves the insurance company a great deal of money if the patient is able to sort out his or her health concern via telephone triage rather than undertaking a costly emergency room visit. A registered nurse is eligible to take on the job of telephone triage. Though specific certification in telephone triage is not required, such certification may improve the nurse’s chances of acquiring a telephone triage position. Most telephone triage positions require that the nurse have at least 5 years of experience. Telephone triage salary varies from state to state, but the median salary for a telephone triage nurse is around $58,000. Salary increases with experience, and most positions offer a full benefits package.


A nurse sees several patients in a hospital emergency room and determines which patient is the most ill and should be seen by the physician first The process that the nurse is using is called?

triage


A nurse sees several patients in the hospital emergency room and determines which patient is the most ill and should be seen by the physician first the process that the nurse is using is called?

This process is called triage


What constitutes a medical emergency that would require a medical assistant to get the attention of a physician or licensed nurse?

Respiratory distress is considered a serious medical issue in triage requiring urgent medical assistance from a Physician and Nurse.


When was Triage - novel - created?

"Triage" is a novel written by Scott Anderson and was first published in 1998. It explores the psychological impacts of war on individuals and the concept of moral injury.


Is triage a word?

The simple answer is yes. However triage is a process of prioritizing patients based on the severity of their condition.


How many pages does Triage - novel - have?

Triage - novel - has 235 pages.


What is the word origin of triage?

the word origin is french the meaning of triage is three things


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Triage-Lavoir de Péronnes was created in 1954.